LEONARDO DiCAPRIO VIES FOR BEST ACTOR WITH “J. EDGAR”
Coming
off Christopher Nolan's explosive blockbuster “Inception,” Leonardo
DiCaprio now makes his first-ever Clint Eastwood-directed film with
Warner Bros.' controversial drama “J. Edgar.” For his riveting portrayal
of J. Edgar Hoover, DiCaprio has been nominated for Best Actor at the
Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a favorite to earn the
same honor at the Oscars.
A
towering figure in American history, J. Edgar Hoover devoted himself to
public service, essentially putting aside any personal relationships he
might have wanted to have for what he considered to be the greater
good. As one who served to gain authority as well as the public’s
adoration, he saw his opportunity to achieve both by positioning himself
as a supreme crime-fighting figure, a hero of the populace.
“Hoover
was incredibly ambitious as a young man,” says DiCaprio, who took on
the character that would take him from a man in his twenties to one at
77. “He was highly motivated to succeed in Washington, primarily due to
his mother’s expectations of him. His father had failed to become a
major political figure, and Annie Hoover wanted her son to carry the
family name to great fame and fortune, with little or no regard for what
else Edgar might have needed for himself. He became this stoic, bulldog
enforcer who had to keep his personal life very personal. He became all
about secrets.”
With
so little known about the man’s inner life, DiCaprio did vast amounts
of research in order to create a fully realized Hoover on screen. “It
was a terrific challenge to breathe life into this person, because he
was such a mystery,” he says. “I did find that he was very manipulative
and very charming; he could charm anyone in the room but at the same
time intimidate them. He liked the spotlight, but he concentrated so
much on work that it defined much of who he was, his morals, the
decisions that he made on really every level. I hesitate to use the word
priest because J. Edgar Hoover was no priest, but he certainly looked
at the FBI as his church.”
“Leo
is a total professional, he comes completely prepared,” Eastwood says.
“From the start, I could see he’d done all of his homework, thought a
lot about what he had to do, and was interested in my take on things. I
was really impressed by his focus, and I think it translated into the
character.”
The
actor was thrilled to be working with the legendary director. “Clint’s
process is impeccable because he trusts his own instincts, he trusts his
gut. There’s a beautiful simplicity to the way he works; he has one
vision, which made it easier to do my job. He’s really like a corner
man. It was like going into the ring and having your coach there,
backing you up. And I think that confidence and support are evident on
the screen.”
DiCaprio
concludes, “I think what allowed me to really get a real sense of
Hoover I was portraying was that, at its heart, ours is a story about
the person inside. Lots of stories have been told about the man, but I
feel that his relationships with [close friend] Clyde Tolson,
[secretary] Helen Gandy and his mother really forged who he was for the
entirety of his life and career. That was what compelled me to go to
work every day, and it’s what I hope will intrigue people as they watch
the movie.”
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