Leonardo DiCaprio

In the new Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie the world is depicted as a game, an inmense and obscure game where a guy can make 12 million in three minutes and tossed dwarfs as a moral example. The Wolf of Wall St is a real story  based  in the life of Jordan Belford, a broker from New Jersey that in the  Eighties tried every way to take advantage of Wall St. Directed by Martin Scorssese the filme is another collaboration of this duo that is making history in Hollywood. With DiCaprio we had the  chance  to speak in Los Angeles  where  he confessed his admiration for  Spanish  culture and how much he enjoys his summer in the island of Ibiza. 

 

 

 

P: You travel with frequency to Spain, do you speak  Spanish ?

R: I would love to. No. I do speak some  German , and some  Italian , my  Spanish  is  reduced  to a bunch of words but I would love to read books in  Spanish  as it  is an amazing culture. I really like my vacation in Ibiza, is beautiful. 

P: Any author that you like from the Spanish  world?

R: One of my favorites authors is  Ernest  Hemingway and he is not Spanish  but he was in love with the Spanish culture. Many things I learn from your country are through his eyes.  The Old Man and the Sea , The Garden of Eden or A  Farewell  to  Arms  are inspired in Spain.

 P: How was the shooting of the Wolf of Wall St

R:  In my experience Scorsese never had a better time making a movie. I got a script 7 years ago, actually I got the book and then this incredibly screenplay that I used to referrer to as "the  Roman Empire", because even if it happened in the late Eighties and early Nineties  it  reminds me  of Caligula, the crazy  Emperor , Trying to take advantage of every opportunity my character ran the life of some sort  Roman Emperor with the same debauchery

P: Is a moral story?

R: It is a cautionary tale of course, but is also really entertaining. We went into this endeavor with the idea of making a movie about Wall Street and those guys who are all over the place. The name Wall Street is even in the title and how do you bring people into a theater in this time of crisis? It is the authenticity of how Jordan Belfort  explored  this era in his life that Martin was passionate  about . He said: ‘look, I have done movies about gangsters and criminals and  I  know that if you portray  these  people and their world with authenticity and you are truthful about who they are and you don't try to edulcorate their code,or apologize or make them too sympathetic, people will go with it. People want to see and to know this world, that's  why  we want to represent one very honest  portrayal  of a time absolutely insane, overtaken by greed and consumption’ 

P: Is all about this  character's  life?

R: The book already  told that, but our attitude was: let's bring a lot of actors to the table, let's them go crazy, and let's them improvise as much as possible. On set  every day was an adventure because somebody was bringing something new and unexpected that made the film different. With people like Matthew McConaughey and Jonah Hill we really didn't know what was going to happen day  by day. And even for me. The more I became Jordan  the more the movie became insane 

P: Did you research a lot?

R: I know that  I am famous for my research. But this time having the real person was enough for me. I have spent months with him.  What is great about him is that he is a reformed man and there is anything he can  do  to be very honest and transparent about that time in his life and about what he thinks that greed and  American  capitalism  means . Now he is doing seminars teaching people about having more transparency and doing business right. He is adamant that at the time was out of his mind. Every time we did a scene I went to him asking: "There is any other detail which you didn't disclose?" He told me everything even the more bizarre and shameless stuff. It was really an amazing material to put on the screen and everything was true...." 

P: Do you like stories about greed?

R: Jordan Belfort was a small fish in a pool of gigantic sharks.  He  was a guy from Long Island trying to create Wall Street in the middle of nowhere. He was a guy who watched the movie Wall Street and wanted to be Gordon Gekko. He didn't have any moral integrity whatsoever, his mantra was let's get rich playing with the system that America set up for us, finding a loop and taking advantage of it. To me the life and the times of Jordan Belfort  are a microcosm of a much bigger story 

P:  Money is an addiction?

R: The movie  explores  a sort of legalized underworld where everybody has an attraction for money, and want to get rich as quickly as possible. As  a human being  I  don't approve that, because  I  try to do charity and philanthropy, but as an actor  I can understand: how many people love Scarface or Public  Enemy and would like to have the same lifestyle .  

P: Do I  think that money makes you happy? 

R: No, because you should have a better epicenter and cherish other things more valuable than that. And beware: money is something that easily becomes an obsession. People who doesn't have foundations  in other areas  could be easily addicted. In our  movie   money is depicted exactly like other addiction: sex and drug. 

P: Is greed a consequence of the  American dream?

R:  I don't think greed is a consequence of the  American dream. greed is something inherent to the human nature, and is actually unfortunately as the nature works

P: Does Scorsese make  you prepare a lot for your characters?

R: Usually every time we did a movie together Scorsese gave me some homework: obscure movies from the past of exotic country to get inspiration or simply vibes.But this time the  references were all about Martin 's  works, a combination of Goodfellas, King of  Comedy, After  Hours. Is a movie tailored for him, this was the reason I think why Marti said yes

P: How do you see your career going? 

R: careers are very hard to handle, mostly in the long term. I have  worked a lot and with amazing directors, actors. that never go away from me. I am very grateful for the opportunity, and I always try to include in my work their example and teachings.. But the truth is that my attitude about what I do never changes. And if I look at myself  at 15 years  old. Some choices that I made at  that very young age, makes  me proud of myself. And that has a lot to do with the movies I have seen in the past : , so much great artistry  that I couldn 't help but say to myself: " I have to do something that good one day". And the crave never  leaves me.

P: Do you invest in the market?

R: I have stocks and I have a broker, yes, but i don't even know where he is investing in  

P: If you weren't an actor what would you have  been?

R: I could have been a biologist and try to save the environment. But being instead an actor I have the opportunity of a bigger stage to sensibilize people. To me environment is not only my responsibility, but also my passion