Jared Leto 'loved growing up in Haiti'

Jared Leto has revealed that he had a "magical time" growing up in Haiti.

The actor moved to the Caribbean island with mother Constance and brother Shannon when he was 12 years old.

"It was a magical time. Could you imagine being a kid in such an exotic place? It was eye-opening. It was a life-changing experience," he told E! Online.

Leto went on to claim that Haiti needs financial aid following the devastating earthquake last week and insisted that he wants to do all he can to help.

"The Haitian people are resilient people and they're survivors. If I thought that running down to Haiti tomorrow would be the best course of action, I would certainly do that," he said.

"But the important thing right now is cash, this is going to be a long journey and a very long recovery process. This isn't something that is going to be fixed overnight."

Leto's band 30 Seconds to Mars have helped raise money for the earthquake fund by auctioning off concert tickets, backstage passes and dinner with the group on eBay.