Tuesday, October 29, 1996
Leonardo DiCaprio is slowly but surely rising as a Hollywood
megastar, and with his role in ‘William Shakespeare’s Romeo and
Juliet,’ it’s easy to see why. By Simon Dunstan
Daily Bruin Contributor
If there was to be an actor who would successfully represent our
generation (the so- called Generation X) on and off the screen, it
would be Leonardo DiCaprio. He is one of the most gifted and
versatile talents of his age. His attitude and outlook towards his
life and Hollywood’s movie industry is so incredibly down-to-earth
and normal  it’s a refreshing change.
This Oscar-nominated 21-year-old makes one wonder how he has
managed to keep his head screwed on while being constantly
surrounded by Hollywood hype. But DiCaprio has an indifferent
attitude toward the press get. He has successfully survived the
slings and arrows of the movie industry.
"No matter what happens outside of making a film, it’s always
your work that speaks for itself in the end," DiCaprio says.
With his latest role in "William Shakespeare’s Romeo and
Juliet," DiCaprio has modernized the character, yet retained
elements of the original Romeo to properly honor the 400-year-old
Shakespearean text.
The one significant change made to one of the most captivating
plays of all time is the transition from a traditional Elizabethan
setting to a futuristic one. Filmmakers are hoping this will appeal
to a modern audience. Directed by Baz Luhrmann ("Strictly
Ballroom"), the film gives Shakespeare’s Elizabethan English a
contemporary American voice. The story is based in the mythical
city of Verona Beach, a passionate, sexy, violent other-world.
Considering DiCaprio’s past works ("What’s Eating Gilbert
Grape?," "This Boy’s Life," "The Basketball Diaries"), his decision
to take the role of Romeo is not a surprise. Dicaprio is constantly
drawn to off-beat films, so "Romeo and Juliet" is not a great
change for him.
"Baz Luhrmann gave me the script and at the time, I didn’t
really think that I wanted to do a traditional ‘Romeo and Juliet,’"
says DiCaprio. "Then I went out to Australia to do a workshop with
him. At that time he told me the new ideas that he wanted to bring
into the movie. The ideas consisted of fast cars, guns and groovy
D&G designer clothes, instead of the swords and the traditional
Elizabethan clothing."
DiCaprio expressed concerns to Luhrmann about the transition
from traditional to trendy. He did not realize that the film would
work until the first day of shooting.
"’Romeo and Juliet’ is, I believe, the most famous play of all
time and the most widely successful. So you definitely have a lot
of stress going into it knowing that," says Dicaprio. "I felt a lot
of pressure on me, but the way Baz decided to direct it relaxed me
a lot more. I know I would have been nervous if it was done in the
traditional style," says DiCaprio.
DiCaprio prefers a more relaxed atmosphere on the set when he is
working. He does not bother with the extra stress of a method style
of acting.
"I prepare myself as I go along, and the only time I am in
character is when I’m in front of the camera," says DiCaprio. "I am
never the method man that has to be in that character the whole
time."
But the more emotional scenes turned out to be more demanding
than the actor expected.
"He has to go through some heavy stuff," recalls DiCaprio. "As
far as preparation, I had to be ready for the emotional points that
Romeo has to go through because he is not a very light-hearted
guy.
"Going through Romeo’s emotions was physically draining. I had
to go through a lot of the stuff that the character was going
through. When you have to cry like that and be so emotional it does
take a toll on you."
Performing in Mexico City also affected DiCaprio’s portrayal of
Romeo. The conditions added to the strain and tension DiCaprio felt
as he conveyed the agony Romeo continually experiences through the
film.
"The interesting thing was, while we where shooting in Mexico
City there was a lot of violence and shootings happening around
us," recalls DiCaprio. "Also many of our crew were getting really
sick all the time. It really added to what we were doing out there
because we were really going through the same things as the
characters."
Initially when DiCaprio decided to take on the role, he thought
that Romeo was "some fluffy guy dancing around the place in
tights." But once he started to look deeper into his role he found
that Romeo was in fact the opposite.
"Romeo is a hopeless romantic and he needs Juliet," explains
DiCaprio. "Juliet says ‘All right, if you have any real balls then
you should marry me now and risk everything.’ So he risks
everything, his whole entire life, his family and then he marries
this girl. Which is such an honorable thing to do, if you really
believe in somebody and are in love, especially at that age."
DiCaprio also has another film coming out this Fall, "Marvin’s
Room" with Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton. The buzz is big about
another Oscar nomination for DiCaprio. At the moment he is working
on the big commercial film, "Titanic," with James Cameron
("Terminator 2"). But despite the exciting new projects, he seems
as unsure about his future as any 21-year-old would be.
"I don’t really have a plan of what I am going to do in the
future," says DiCaprio. "I don’t have a map of what type of movie I
am going to do next. Meryl Streep gave me some great advice. She
said ‘You choose the best thing available at that time.’"
Considering that most other actors DiCaprio’s age are either
caught up in the drug scene or their own egos, DiCaprio is trying
to live out his life as normally as possible.
"When I am not working on a movie, my life is pretty relaxed and
pretty much like it has been since I was in high school," DiCaprio
explains. "I am really not into the way the movie business is now,
where it is less about art and more about making money. It’s looked
at as an industry in some factory, and I am not into that. It is
certainly not the direction I want to go in."
And if anyone feels that DiCaprio is naive or idealistic in his
views, he won’t be bothered. He does not let public opinion affect
him anymore.
"I don’t care what people say about me anymore, cause it gets to
a point where when you’re hot you’re hot, and when you’re not
you’re not. I just want to keep on doing what I am doing and
hopefully people will watch my movies."
Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes tackle Shakespeare’s original
play in the upcoming feature "Romeo & Juliet." DiCaprio, who
was nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar after playing a mentally
disabled teenager in "What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?" takes the
tragic role of Romeo head-on with talented Danes (star of
television’s "My So Called Life") as his fair Juliet. Not often a
romantic lead in his films, DiCaprio finds himself in the most
romantic role of all time.