The 'Great Gatsby' star says, 'We're not condoning this behavior,' adding that audience is meant to enjoy the madness from a non-judgmental point of view.
- Dec 31, 2013
AceShowbiz - Leonardo DiCaprio addresses "The Wolf of Wall Street" controversy. While the Martin Scorsese movie sparks award buzzes, it raises concerns that the plot focuses too much on glorifying the hedonistic lifestyle of Jordan Belfort, a real-life convicted stock market manipulator.
In a new interview with Variety, he says, "I hope people understand we're not condoning this behavior, that we're indicting it. The book was a cautionary tale, and if you sit through the film, you'll realize what we're saying about these people and this world, because it's an intoxicating one."
In a separate interview with HitFix, the "Django Unchained" actor explains that the biographical black comedy is meant to present the madness of Belfort's world with a great deal of humor and fun energy and allow audience to enjoy it from a non-judgmental point of view.
"The unique thing about Marty is that he doesn't judge his characters. And that was something that you don't quite understand while you're making the movie, but he allows the freedom of this almost hypnotic, drug-infused, wild ride that these characters go on," he says.
Leo continues, "And he allows you, as an audience - guilty or not - to enjoy in that ride without judging who these people are. Because ultimately, he keeps saying this: 'Who am I to judge anybody?' "
"People - no matter what their attitude is after seeing the film - should understand this is a film that's outside the box and is very difficult to get done in this day and age; it almost never happens," he tells Variety. "Thank god there are people who have taste for experimental filmmaking at this level and who really want to endorse this type of film because if it weren't for them, we wouldn't see any types of films like this."
