If there’s one thing Leonardo DiCaprio is renowned for besides his charismatic presence and alluring personality, it’s his willpower to go to extremes just to give his character the portrayal that it deserves. And since that is one of the major reasons why nearly every single one of his films gets critically acclaimed, he made sure to delve into his Killers of the Flower Moon character as deeply as he could as well.
However, this time, in his most recent critically acclaimed hit, the extreme lengths went a bit too extreme as filmmaker Martin Scorsese had to stop DiCaprio from taking intense measures just to look ‘ugly’ for his character, Tom White.
Martin Scorsese Had To Stop Leonardo DiCaprio From Delving Into His Role Too Deep
Recently appearing in an interview with IndieWire, filmmaker Martin Scorsese was met with this question regarding his recently released film, Killers of the Flower Moon:
“[Leonardo] DiCaprio presents himself in a less glamorous way. He messed around with his teeth and mouth. Was that something you debated? He needed to be sexy enough to seduce Mollie; clearly, he had enough glamour and allure to spare.”
To, this Scorsese responded by first appraising DiCaprio for being the incredible actor that he is.
“Are you talking about a movie star or an actor movie star? People say, “Oh you know, Cary Grant, he was a great movie star.” He’s a great actor, but he never got an Oscar. Here, you have the elements that Leo DiCaprio brings with him from all the other pictures, in terms of the allure of the movie star, right? But, he is a great actor, so he wasn’t afraid to move ahead that way.”
Continuing, he admitted that at times, he had to stop Leonardo DiCaprio from taking measures that were a bit too extreme for him.
“Sometimes I have to say, “Hey, that’s too much” with this or that. But we narrowed it down. I had people around saying, “It’s a little too obvious and trying for something to break the image,” but he looks pretty good for the character. And also his charm still comes through. And we stopped it there and even Bob played around a little bit too, with some facial things that we did. You know, it’s a matter of how much Marlon Brando put cotton in his mouth.”
Considering this revelation, it seems only appropriate that Leonardo DiCaprio gets immensely commended for his outstanding performance in Killers of the Flower Moon.
The Killers of the Flower Moon Cast Argued & Discussed More Than Rehearsing
During the same interview, Martin Scorsese then went on to share how, during the shoot of the film, the cast mostly discussed and argued about the script more than rehearsing it.
“Rehearsal for us is like reading it, arguing, discussing [it]. Not even arguments or debating, it’s saying, “You know, that line is too much. Do you need it? Oh, you could say it. And we’re here, here and here. You don’t want to do one without it? For God’s sake!” We’re together. It isn’t antagonistic, we [have known] each other for years.”
Continuing, he mentioned how everyone on sets had mutual respect for each other and that everyone’s opinion was considered.
“At times, we find that Leo is younger, and his energy goes flying. And Bob and I are older. So we wait until he calms down a bit. And then I give my opinion and Bob gives his, and I give mine from both. It deals with a lot of patience and trust.”
Just like that, with the combined efforts of the cast coupled with everyone’s ideas for improvisation, Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, and the rest of the crew Killers of the Flower Moon the masterpiece that it is.
You can catch Killers of the Flower Moon in theatres now.
