Leonardo DiCaprio - (Please Read First Post Prior to Posting)

[FashionDream]

NANDA Thanks for info on that pic (Y)

[katchitup]

Bars body is ridiculous, so I wouldn't blame him Thanks Nanda!

Yes Princess, I hope leo is really going to that Durban event. But then that would be tommarow! Or today in Sydney time Or something......

Thanks miche for the People voting!

[oxford25]

The lady who interviewed Leo below, is the same person who made the tweets below at the time of the interview

jenellerileyJenelle Riley

Interviewing Leonardo DiCaprio today. Just really enjoy typing that.

@jenellerileyJenelle Riley

It's all good, Leo was a little behind, but well worth waiting for. Thoughtful, intelligent, and with a great sense of humor about himself!

And below is her actual interview with Leo

Some interesting comments such as I didn't know he had an acting coach that he still consults, or that his interest in Hoover began with being involved with Mann/Public Enemies project, etc.

Leonardo DiCaprio on Embodying J. Edgar Hoover

By Jenelle Riley

November 23, 2011

Leonardo DiCaprio has been a star for so long, it can be easy to forget he is also an actor—an amazing one at that. He is an instinctive talent whose first major film role was opposite Robert De Niro in "This Boy's Life" and who earned his first Oscar nomination at 19 for his flawless portrait of Johnny Depp's mentally challenged brother in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape." Although the 1997 phenomenon "Titanic" turned him into a worldwide celebrity, DiCaprio never took on the kind of easy paychecks that might have tempted others. Even from a young age, he seemed determined to seek roles that challenged him personally and paired him with top filmmakers—Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Clint Eastwood heading the list.

But it often seemed that even though DiCaprio is beloved by the masses, his most solid work has gone unnoticed. He was praised for lending his star power to "Inception," Christopher Nolan's art house film disguised as a big-budget blockbuster. Yet his heartbreaking performance remained largely underrated. Accolades and awards are often lavished on his co-stars, be it Daniel Day-Lewis in "Gangs of New York" or Kate Winslet in "Titanic" and "Revolutionary Road," while DiCaprio has consistently made his job look easy.

Instead, DiCaprio is an inherently talented actor who studies and prepares intensely for his roles. His abilities are currently on display as the title character in "J. Edgar," a biopic about FBI head J. Edgar Hoover (1895–1972), whose contributions to crime fighting might be overshadowed only by his controversial tactics. For that role in the Eastwood-directed film, the actor took a fraction of his $20 million fee and studied every angle of trivia, including assertions that Hoover was gay and a cross-dresser. It's a bravura performance, one that's sure to net him his fourth Academy Award nomination, if not the win. After all, DiCaprio gets the golden trifecta as Hoover: He gets to play gay, age 50 years, and die.

Back Stage: You started in commercials at a young age; at what point did you realize acting was a career?

Leonardo DiCaprio: I've used this quote before, but I really mean it: I always felt like being an actor was an elite club I never really belonged to. My stepbrother was an actor in commercials and TV shows all throughout my youth, and I loved acting. I loved imitating people I loved drama class; I loved joking around with my parents and creating different characters. I liked doing my own little homemade skits. I always wanted to be an actor, but no agent would accept me for many years. I tried to go to many different agents, and they didn't want to accept me. I think because I was break dancing at the time and had a weird, punkish haircut and dressed like a street kid.

Back Stage: When did you finally get a foothold in the business?

DiCaprio: I finally got accepted by an agent when I was 12 or 13 years old. If it wasn't for the fact I lived in Hollywood, I don't think I would be an actor. I grew up in the heart of Hollywood, on Hollywood and Western, for the first nine years of my life. It was kind of Prostitution Alley back then. But I got to go to this really wonderful school, which was University Elementary School, UES, which is a magnate program of UCLA. They accepted me on scholarship. So my mom sacrificed her time every day driving from Hollywood to Westwood, stuck in traffic every day. It would be a 45-minute ride there and back every day; she had to pick me up because the bus didn't go there. And when I started to be an actor, she let me go on auditions and would drop me off. If I was born in Ohio and had the dream of being an actor, I don't think I'd be here today. Financially, we couldn't have uprooted and moved here.

Back Stage: Well, it might have happened; it just would have taken longer, don't you think?

DiCaprio: To be honest, I think that life is a series of being incredibly prepared for that one opportunity. And that one opportunity may have never come along for me, you know? I had that one opportunity with "This Boy's Life," and I was lucky enough to have gotten that role. I was in the right place at the right time.

Back Stage: Is it true Robert De Niro handpicked you for the role of his stepson in "This Boy's Life"?

DiCaprio: It was the director, Michael Caton-Jones, and De Niro. It was a very coveted role, there were hundreds of kids auditioning for it, and it came down to the wire with myself, Tobey [Maguire], and one or two other kids. I just got lucky that day. We did this final audition with De Niro and Michael, and luckily, they saw something in me. I believe it was De Niro who said they should go with me, but you'd have to ask him that question; I don't know exactly how that went down. And when you ask him, I'd love to hear the answer! [Laughs.]

Back Stage: Is there anything that stands out about that audition that might have helped you snag the role?

DiCaprio: I remember screaming at De Niro in the audition. We did a scene where he's ramming a mustard jar in my eye and yelling at me, and I remember he was getting really intense with me because, you know, the character is an abusive father. He was getting in my face, and I remember yelling at him. It wasn't in the script; it was improvised. And then there was sort of a chuckle in the room; I remember them laughing and not really understanding why they were laughing. I think it was because he got me really angry, and they liked how I responded. That's what my memory serves, but his could be a completely different interpretation. They could have sat there and said, "Wow, this kid's ridiculous, but let's give him a shot."

Back Stage: You were working with icons like De Niro at an early age, which had to be intimidating. By that same token, are you aware of how you might be intimidating to some of your co-stars?

DiCaprio: I definitely can see how people in the public eye can make others comfortable or uncomfortable, and I try my best to let things sort of happen naturally—on set and in life, too. I don't think about it that much, because I do consider myself a pretty relatively normal human being, although my life is incredibly bizarre. I sometimes try to figure out how people perceive me, but it's something you can never truly understand. I know how I feel amongst people who are in the public eye, and there's always a little bit of wariness around them—it's like there's an elephant in the room. So I try my best not to think about that type of thing, or I could be endlessly trying to figure it out.

Back Stage: Because you are a celebrity, do you ever feel you don't get the respect you deserve as an actor?

DiCaprio: I think that it's incredibly important to listen to criticism. I consider myself what I consider myself, and that is somebody that's always trying to be better. No matter what anybody thinks about my work, I'm constantly trying to improve, and I really do care about what I do on a very deep level, and it does affect my life on a very deep level. It is my life's passion. I'm very lucky to know this is something I wanted to do ever since I was very young. It's my earliest memory. And I feel fortunate for that. With every role that I've chosen or every movie I've been a part of, I always think about the unbelievable accomplishments of actors and directors in the past and how many great performances have been given, and how many great films there have been in cinema's history. And I have a great amount of respect for that. So I suppose my endless, unattainable goal is to do something that is as good as I see in cinema's past. And I don't know if I will ever, on a personal level, believe that I have accomplished that. I don't know if I'll ever sit here and see a film and say, "This is absolutely everything I ever dreamed of on a personal or cinematic level." But that's what sort of drives me. When I was 15 and I got that part in "This Boy's Life," I sat for a year and just watched every damn movie I possibly could, and I was just awestruck by what's been accomplished. From first seeing Jimmy Cagney in "Public Enemy," all the way to some of the great actors of today, there have been so many great performances.

Back Stage: From a young age, you've made interesting choices in your roles. Were you operating on instinct, or did you have a plan for your career?

DiCaprio: From the beginning, I considered it an honor, and I still do, just to be able to do what I do professionally. I never forget I came from a group of young actors, and not everyone gets to be so lucky to do what we do. It's a huge honor, and something I don't want to disrespect. I remember my second movie being "Gilbert Grape" I remember having the opportunity to do another type of movie at that time—I think it was "Hocus Pocus"—and I was offered more money than I ever dreamed of in my life in one go. But there was something about that role in "Gilbert Grape" that made me say, "You know what? I'm going to pass on this and go for this other role." I don't know quite where that came from as a 16-year-old kid, but seeing all those movies in that time period made me really want to play that Arnie Grape character. And for whatever reason, I was just hooked at that point.

Back Stage: Have you ever taken acting classes or worked with a coach?

DiCaprio: I took junior high and high school drama class. From a young age, I read a lot of books about the Meisner technique and Stanislavsky. But I never reconnected with it until I got to start working with Larry Moss in my 20s. Larry's class is an amazing one. He takes it from a psychological level of conquering your own fears and fighting your inhibitions and taking chances. We all have these emotions we carry around within us, but to be able to release them as an actor is fundamental. Acting and psychology are two sides of the same coin for him.

Back Stage: What was the first film you worked with him on, and do you still work with him?

DiCaprio: "The Aviator." And I consult with him all the time. If it's not a series of meetings, I always consult with him before every movie, just to bat around different character ideas and talk about the creation of what kind of decisions I want to make as an actor. It's incredibly beneficial to have that bouncing board and somebody to challenge you artistically like that.

Back Stage: What sort of practical advice would you offer actors?

DiCaprio: I've had young people come up to me and ask me about acting and how to get into the industry, and I always talk about preparation. Go to acting class; learn the fundamentals. Then go to L.A., where all the auditions are. Those are the first two things. And the third thing is, know your damn lines. Know your lines inside and out, to the point at which they become secondhand. Like everyone else, I'm a big fan of Stanley Kubrick; I really wish I could have worked with him. There was something about the way he worked with his actors, a certain exhaustion all his actors had and a certain naturalness in the way they said their lines. It's because they were doing 50 to 100 takes sometimes. There's no way they didn't know every next word that was coming out of their mouth. There was a certain calm and ease—even when you're insane like Jack Nicholson in "The Shining"—there's a certain ease that you have with your dialogue where you can play around. And the ability to play around comes with being prepared and knowing who your character is and what they're going to say. Then you can improv and do other things, because you have the roots and you can create the branches and leaves. But you have to know the fundamentals, and the most important fundamental is: Know what you're going to say.

Back Stage: What interested you in playing J. Edgar Hoover?

DiCaprio: I'd been involved with another project for a few years, "Public Enemies," where I started to read up on Hoover. I was involved in the development process with Michael Mann, but I forget what happened. I think it was scheduling conflicts, and then Michael started developing it on his own for a while, and it became more of an all-Dillinger story as opposed to a two-hander. So the idea of doing a movie about that era and J. Edgar Hoover was always sort of in my subconscious. When I heard that Dustin Lance Black, who did "Milk," had done a script, I immediately got it and read it. It was one of those screenplays that brought up a million more questions for me—about his personal life, what motivated him, who he was, what he was involved with historically in our country and government. Dustin really captured the essence of him. And who doesn't want to work with Clint Eastwood? I knew it was a character I had to sink my teeth into. I started to research him immediately, even though I didn't necessarily have the role yet.

Back Stage: How did you go about getting into the skin of Hoover?

DiCaprio: It was incredibly challenging; I put a lot of research and preparation into it. I got to go to Washington, D.C., and retrace Hoover's steps, and go into his old house and see the place where he died in his living room. I got to go to the FBI and stand in his office and see the view and where he ate with Clyde Tolson every day in his corner booth. I got to fly down to North Carolina and meet Deke Deloach, the last man who worked with Hoover who knew him on an intimate level. It really was a lot of fun and really shaped the Hoover I tried to put up onscreen.

Back Stage: You've played your share of real-life people; what's the appeal for you?

DiCaprio: I do love playing historical figures simply because there's so much incredibly diverse interesting information about a character when you can research their life. A lot of the stuff you'd never be able to make up as a writer. You'd say, that's completely unrealistic—Hoover would never do that! It's just so interesting to try and embody somebody like that. It's a different process on something like "Inception," where it's more months of sitting down with the director and shaping the character's subplot and making up their history. I enjoy them both, but I must admit I love playing people where a lot of the answers are already out there, because it's shocking to find out what people have really done in the real world.

Back Stage: You've also played your share of unreliable narrators; any reason you're drawn to those roles?

DiCaprio: Yeah. I like that term, "unreliable narrator." Recently, people have been asking me about the type of decisions I've made, and I think something I'm going to continue to do is not question why I'm drawn to certain types of roles or genres of movies. You feel like you have to be of service to something, and I feel like whatever it is about those characters—whether they're unreliable narrators or some sort of dysfunction, or have some sort of similarity to other characters—there's a reason I want to play them, and I don't want to question that. Like I said, I feel very honored to be able to pick and choose what I do. So I'm just going to continue not questioning it.

[oxford25]

Nanda

Thanks for Tobey /settlement article/assorted pix

Michelabella

Thanks for voting link

By Princess

Thanks for pix

Kat

Yes, it is Tues 10:30 am in Sydney, and it almost an 11 hour flight between Sydney and Durban, so I would imagine if Leo is going he would already be on his way.

[katchitup]

Interesting interview Ox! Leo sounds humble as usual I knew leo was their first choice for Public Enemies, and he was set to star, but like leo said, it was probably schedualing conflicts, ect.

[by_princess]

But Oxf when is supposed that him have to be in Durban?? Tuesday or Wednesday?

I know that your mentioned it before but I don't remember

[Pami]

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS ARTICLE?

So, basically he's saying Leo did better performances than in J.Edgar. Well, I don't see the movie yet so I can't say anything by now. But all I know is that a lot of times academy is unfair with actors, directors... I remember to read a lot of stuff when Scorsese FINALLYwon his Oscar for The Departed, they said that wasn't his best film or directing and that he should have won for other movies in the past. SO WHY THEY JUST DON'T GIVE HIM THE OSCAR BEFORE? you know this things get me mad, he didn't deserved now, he deserved before... what the hell? It's not his fault that academy fail, so it's like give him an honorary Oscar later in his life... give me a break. :knives:

So let's suppose that Leo's performance in J.Edgar is not his best one, but still he wins the Oscar, will be unfair? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, why not? Because he centainly deserved to win at least 2 times before, without count the times he was SNUBBED (RR, Shutter)... so if he win don't matter when or for what movie WILL BE DESERVED.

Oh...so Leo did better perfomances than in J.Edgar?Gosh....what can we do with these people girls? Any Ideas?I think Leo is pursued,that's my opinion,I would not be surprised if they say Brad Pitt is better than Leonardo or maybe Ryan Gosling or Justin Timberlake!! :yuckky: Why they dont recognize he's the best or that he's great?I think that public recognition is worth more than any award.And Leo's got it!

Tks for these pics Wijn...yeah Leo looked like a bit chubby,but I think he was gaining weight for J. Edgar,maybe hehe. And we know what a cold water may cause!!

Tks for the interview Oxford!!

[barilace]

DiCaprio: "The Aviator." And I consult with him all the time. If it's not a series of meetings, I always consult with him before every movie, just to bat around different character ideas and talk about the creation of what kind of decisions I want to make as an actor. It's incredibly beneficial to have that bouncing board and somebody to challenge you artistically like that.

Back Stage: What sort of practical advice would you offer actors?

DiCaprio: I've had young people come up to me and ask me about acting and how to get into the industry, and I always talk about preparation. Go to acting class; learn the fundamentals. Then go to L.A., where all the auditions are. Those are the first two things. And the third thing is, know your damn lines. Know your lines inside and out, to the point at which they become secondhand. Like everyone else, I'm a big fan of Stanley Kubrick; I really wish I could have worked with him. There was something about the way he worked with his actors, a certain exhaustion all his actors had and a certain naturalness in the way they said their lines. It's because they were doing 50 to 100 takes sometimes. There's no way they didn't know every next word that was coming out of their mouth. There was a certain calm and ease

[Pami]

DiCaprio: "The Aviator." And I consult with him all the time. If it's not a series of meetings, I always consult with him before every movie, just to bat around different character ideas and talk about the creation of what kind of decisions I want to make as an actor. It's incredibly beneficial to have that bouncing board and somebody to challenge you artistically like that.

Back Stage: What sort of practical advice would you offer actors?

DiCaprio: I've had young people come up to me and ask me about acting and how to get into the industry, and I always talk about preparation. Go to acting class; learn the fundamentals. Then go to L.A., where all the auditions are. Those are the first two things. And the third thing is, know your damn lines. Know your lines inside and out, to the point at which they become secondhand. Like everyone else, I'm a big fan of Stanley Kubrick; I really wish I could have worked with him. There was something about the way he worked with his actors, a certain exhaustion all his actors had and a certain naturalness in the way they said their lines. It's because they were doing 50 to 100 takes sometimes. There's no way they didn't know every next word that was coming out of their mouth. There was a certain calm and ease�€”even when you're insane like Jack Nicholson in "The Shining"�€”there's a certain ease that you have with your dialogue where you can play around. And the ability to play around comes with being prepared and knowing who your character is and what they're going to say. Then you can improv and do other things, because you have the roots and you can create the branches and leaves. But you have to know the fundamentals, and the most important fundamental is: Know what you're going to say.

Holy Jesus that is hot. God. Leo. You need to stop. Or like take me now. How can he look like that and have talent like that and talk like this at the same time? It's like...not fair.

He takes it from a psychological level of conquering your own fears and fighting your inhibitions and taking chances. We all have these emotions we carry around within us, but to be able to release them as an actor is fundamental. Acting and psychology are two sides of the same coin for him.

Lol

He's sooooooo perfect!!!

[FashionDream]

Oxford Now that's what I want to see!! Thanks alot for that interview! (Y)

[BarbieErin]

YES, I remember that pic... Nanda.

Amazing interview, thanks ox.

[oxford25]

Agree with person's take on Leo's performance in J Edgar

Leonardo DiCaprio Wears J. Edgar's Age Flawlessly

Leonardo DiCaprio finds the "character" in any role, often utilizing different accents and dialects to transform himself onscreen. It's no different in Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar. DiCaprio takes us back in time to show us a two-fold story of the famed father of the FBI. The film takes place between J. Edgar Hoover's early days developing the rules of federal investigation and the weeks leading up to his death.

As J. Edgar, DiCaprio does more than simply step into the makeup of an aging man. He skillfully switches between a younger Hoover at the cusp of self-discovery and an older, more paranoid one. He wears the age flawlessly. After you initially see him covered in prosthetics, you completely forget that you are watching a young man in the role.

His Character Approved performance is vaguely reminiscent of Orson Welles as Citizen Kane. As much as you want to hate Hoover for some of his actions, the personal side that DiCaprio captures leads you to pity the man. He is able to seamlessly shift between Hoover's past and present to show how the dynamic emotions of each time period affected the other.

DiCaprio's role as J. Edgar will surely garner the attention of Golden Globe and Academy Award voting committees, and we couldn't agree more.

]

Fash

Thanks for your pm help

ByPrincess

The article I posted stated he was due to arrive on Tues 11/29.

The last article I posted stated he was due to arrive Tues, and Sydney time it's Tues

[solange_09]

thanks oxford! I always wondered whether Leo really reads reviews of his work and how he takes criticism.

Feel like postin' some pics just cuz I looking at him!

[by_princess]

ByPrincess

The article I posted stated he was due to arrive on Tues 11/29.

The last article I posted stated he was due to arrive Tues, and Sydney time it's Tues

Ah ok.. Thanks for the info Oxf ... Women! how you remember everything?

Also Thanks for all the articles! still waiting for pics in Durban

My Goddess Solange even from behind he looks

[BarbieErin]

thanks for that comment ox and thanks for the beautiful pics, solange.

[BarbieErin]

princess: I agree and hopefully this will happen.

in my opinion they will eat their words because he will be vindicated this awards season

[Lkjh]

Pami, the pics were by Nanda

Thanks so much Ox!

Every time I read an interview with Leo his intelligence surprises me again!

Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire told to ease off high stakes poker

Tobey Maguire, Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon all enjoy a good game of poker

Now we know another reason that movie stars Leo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire have enjoyed quite a bit of their time in 'Sin City' Sydney, Australia - they like a punt, and are fans of Australian land based casinos, with The Star being at the top of their list for the meantime. It's not known for certain if the twosome have played poker or gambled on Australian soil, but take a wild guess. Many Hollywood (and AussieWood) stars love to gamble, and high-stakes poker is one of their favourite games. Privacy is high on their priorities and it's known that some forms of gambling don't sit well with the law in some parts of the world, including in the United States. It's understood that Tobey Maguire and mates Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck are long time high stakes poker fans and may have participated in quite a few private games played mainly in Los Angeles and New York. The word is that the FBI is probing into alleged Russian mob connections to those big dollar games. A few months ago there was a lawsuit filed against Maguire claiming a big Wall Street investment guy paid his gambling debts with funds inappropriately acquired from his firm’s investors. A longtime associate of both DiCaprio and Maguire is understood to have said "As much as those boys love to gamble, they don’t need this kind of hassle...It seems clear that a number of very unsavory people have used their own huge wealth to weasel their way into those games. "No one needs a Frank Sinatra problem these days," added the leak, referring to the Mafia connections that followed Ol’ Blue Eyes most of his life. DiCaprio and Maguire are currently enjoying a working holiday of Australia and both gents have been spotted at The Star (entertainment complex and casino - ex Star City Casino) more than once. 'Our Leo' is staring in The Great Gatsby. Maguire is not working Spider-Man, but has a number of exciting projects in the works. May the best player, er, actor Win. All of this while online gaming companies such as Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, which owns the World Poker Tour, attempts to get the green light from the US government to offer Americans totally legal online poker games. Media Man is following up the story, and understands that McGuire is close to coming to terms with prosecutors on the Hollywood Poker investigation

[katchitup]

Thanks wijn!

Thanks solange for all the lovely pics! The ones you post are always stunning, even the one of the back of leos head

Thanks Ox for the info about the Durban. I wonder if it already happened? It should have by now, and haven't heard anything about it yet.....

fash I sent you a PM but you haven't responded. I feel like I'm being ignored

[oxford25]

Solange

I'm so glad that you "like to look at Leo" as you certainly posted some great pix for all of us to look at

Kat

As to Leo /Durban :

It could be he is attending , but the article had the time of his arrival wrong , as the event begins today and lasts for two weeks.

Or as we've seen happen in past, the information that he was attending was inaccurate from the start.

Also if it is true that Gatsby filming is behind schedule , then it would seem to me that it would be difficult for him to take time off during the work week for several days. It could be he will arrive on a weekend.

Wijn

Thanks for poker article

[Nanda23]

What intelligent man... still have people who open their mouths to say that he doesn't understand about cinema, is absurd :yuckky:.

In every interview I've never seen him much less than humble, determined, knows how to pick the right words... is always one learning to read his interviews. And every time I read an interview like this, every time I watch his movies, I remember why it's so easy to love this actor. I couldn't have made a better choice to be my idol forever . Tks Ox.

Thanks michelabella for the link... I'll vote too.

Thanks Princess and Solange for the gorgeous pics.

Thanks wijn by the article on poker games.