I’m feeling incredibly ambivalent about Baz Luhrmann‘s The Great Gatsby because it is adapted from my all-time favorite book. While I’m happy to see the book get even more recognition, I’m not crazy about the cast, the soundtrack (I didn’t know there was so much hip hop in the 1920s), that it was shot half a world away from where it takes place, and the simple fact that no adaptation of The Great Gatsby has ever been able to capture the wild spirit of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel. But it seems like I’m the only one who feels this way — indeed, star Leonardo DiCaprio, who portrays Jay Gatsby in the film, seems just as uncertain as I am.
He tells Access Hollywood about the new film, “[It’s one of the] most beloved novels of all time. It is a great piece of American literature and everyone has their own personal connection with these characters and these people and they have their own interpretation of Gatsby. It’s intimidating going into a process where you’re going to make a film adaptation of something that is this intricate complex and beloved worldwide because you’re almost setting yourself up for disaster.”
DiCaprio also spoke about how he keeps himself grounded despite being one of the world’s biggest movie stars. One of the ways is through the charitable causes he supports. He explains, “Ever since I can remember I wanted to be an actor and I was fascinated by nature and the protection of very unique endangered species and the utopias around the world… that’s a lot of the work I’m doing with my foundation right now.”
Another thing that grounds him is his relationships to his family and friends. He points out, “The people that have been a part of my life for a long time… they keep me humble, my parents certainly do, my friends certainly do and they constantly remind me of how fortunate I am. It’s really those relationships, to tell you the truth, that have kept me very appreciative of all this.”
via Yahoo! News
