Leo DiCaprio

I am desperately holding onto my 30s for two more years. ~Leonardo DiCaprio

Leo DiCaprio has become a household name, and although he hasn’t won an Oscar yet, his work is certainly deserving of one. Best known for his roles in Shutter Island, Django Unchained, and Inception (a box-office hit which had the second-highest-debut for a science fiction film and was the sixth-highest grossing film in North America in 2010), DiCaprio now tackles the role of Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby, based on the famous novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Because the work is such a literary classic, he had to do his research carefully. “I basically did everything that I could to investigate Fitzgerald’s words and his imagery that he created for who Gatsby was, and anything that was right for the character is what I tried to achieve,” DiCaprio says. “We were pretty meticulous about every stitch of clothing that Gatsby had, the way he wore his hair, the type of suits that he owned. I also investigated each different sequence and tried to understand the intent of, not only Gatsby, but also all the characters around him.”

And the pressure of playing such a character was risky. “Everyone has his or her own version of The Great Gatsby story. I can’t tell you how many people come up to me and say that this is their favorite book of all time,” he reveals. “There aren’t many projects that you’re part of where people already have an expectation going into the theater. They are going to see you dramatize things that they have stuck in their mind. It can be very risky in the sense that every time you make a movie, you have to be specific.”

But his hard work has paid off, in his ability to relate to Gatsby. “Gatsby to me is one of the most compelling, interesting characters I’ve ever read, because it’s all very subtle,” he states. “He is completely disconnected with what is going on around him, and the great tragedy at the end is that he throws these lavish parties that everyone wants to be part of. They want to connect with him, and join in the fun. But once he becomes a tabloid fodder, and people start investigating his past and where he made his fortune, nobody shows up to his funeral,” he details.

“For me in my life, I have grown up with great family and friends surrounding me, but Gatsby is somebody that erased his past and left all of his connections and humble beginnings so he could re-invent himself. I do identify with the ambition, and I think certainly everyone does,” DiCapro states.

On the director of the movie Baz Luhrmann, the DiCaprio says fondly, “As much as Baz [Luhrmann] creates these fantastic worlds filled with imagery and modern connectivity, he’s very meticulous about remaining true to the essence of what makes these stories great, he praises. “Baz is a bit of Gatsby himself. He is the manifestation of his own dreams, and he’s been vigilant about being his own unique artist and creating a world around him that supports him. He is one of the most infectious directors I have ever met as far as his enthusiasm for doing great art.” He continues, “You cannot get in a room with Baz and not feel nostalgic for the world that you are going to create. I knew that as soon as he handed me the book, as hesitant as I was about venturing into such respected material, I knew I wasn’t going to say no.”

But at the very end, Gatsby’s inability to cope with growing up and not being able to go back to the past highly contrasts with DiCaprio’s journey. “I am desperately holding onto my 30s for two more years. I have grown up in this industry and have been acting ever since I was 13 years old, so in a lot of ways, I have grown up on screen and in the public eye.”