In 2011, shortly after his Oscar-winning run with Invictus, Clint Eastwood picked up J. Edgar, a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio that’s based on a true story about the first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover. The film, despite its heavy theme and the politically charged subject placed at the center of the narrative, revolves around a story that is meant to be told, and DiCaprio, in his excitement to leave a mark in the industry makes a surprising sacrifice simply to star in the film as its lead.
Leonardo DiCaprio Surprised Clint Eastwood With Pay-Cut
J. Edgar, the 2011 biographical drama almost gave Leonardo DiCaprio the final push his reputation needed to survive the watchful image and reputation left behind by the Titanic. At some point during the production of the film, however, DiCaprio, the leading star of the story took a significant cut from his salary which originally amounted to $20 million, and reduced it to $2 million. Eastwood claimed:
He could have made a lot of money just doing spectacle movies with all kinds of CGI. But he wants to vary his career as I’ve always looked to vary mine as a director.
Eastwood’s film spanned a divisive 50-year course of the life of Edgar Hoover and was made on a budget of $35 million over the course of 39 days. At the box office, it earned $85 million and DiCaprio’s film panned critically despite earning him a Golden Globe nomination for his leading performance.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Work Ethic Blew Away Clint Eastwood
As if it simply wasn’t enough to impress the legendary actor and filmmaker, Clint Eastwood, Leonardo DiCaprio surprised Eastwood again after claiming to be taking a major chunk off of his paycheck to aid in the filming of this movie. The actor, true to his intent of spreading his range further, embodies the character of J. Edgar Hoover in different periods of his life – the ambitious younger person equipped with a mission and a dream, the person weighed down by the world and its responsibilities, and the man who became the most important, powerful, and influential figure in all of America.
The plot, as highly interesting as it was would require Leonardo DiCaprio to give a radically different performance than the high-octane thrilling roles he was used to executing on screen. The actor, then known for works like Catch Me If You Can (2002), Gangs of New York (2002), Blood Diamond (2006), The Departed (2006), Body of Lies (2008), Shutter Island (2010), and Inception (2010) were all mostly action-thrillers. His swift turn into a political drama that would include a character performance was a role that DiCaprio would not be remembered for yet execute impressively enough to take the Academy Award-winning director by surprise.
Source: The Hollywood Director
