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Oscar Nominee DiCaprio says Human Spirit Always Trumps Adversity

February 22, 2007

Leo takes a lesson in dancing through danger while filming “Blood Diamond” in Africa 

By Gayl Murphy

Hollywood, CA (rushprnews) 02/22/2007- Proving time and again that he is not just another pretty face, Leonardo DiCaprio returns to the Academy Awards, behind his third nomination.  It has been a stellar year for the actor, as Oscar buzz grew to a dull roar following the release of “Blood Diamond,” right on the heels of his virtuoso turn in “The Departed.”  

This year it was not a question of if a nomination would come his way, but for which   performance?  The Academy chose “Diamond” as his 2007 ticket to the ceremony, in the prized Best Actor category.   

DiCaprio shines as Danny Archer, a South African mercenary in 1990’s war torn Sierra Leone, a center for “conflict diamonds” -- stones used to finance regional war lords’ regimes.  A controversial spark plug, the film sent the diamond industry into a public relations tailspin, and right around the holidays, too.  But when the always-gracious DiCaprio spoke with Hollywood Today (www.hollywoodtoday.net), he avoided the tendency to sermonize that often goes along with acclaimed topical performances.  The film’s subtly is what, in fact, lured DiCaprio in the first place. “It has to convey a message without the audience feeling preached to and this story accomplished that. They brought the political aspects of the diamond trade into the story in a way I didn’t feel was preachy. I thought it was authentic,” explained the actor. “Here was this character exploiting people less fortunate than him dealing in the black market and not really being conscious of the world he lived in and I thought he was a really powerful character.” 

The role also required a bit of training in the African brush, and quite a lot of dialect study, both of which DiCaprio found while on location, in Mozambique. 

“I spent a lot of time with the locals drinking beers with them and hearing their stories. I’d ask them to repeat themselves so I could get the accent,” admitted DiCaprio.  

For the physical prep work, Leo said “We did these faux military activities of hunting and tracking in the bush and what it was like. Plus it helped hanging out with a lot of guys that were in the South African army and getting that military background.”   

No sweat for a strapping young man like himself?  He humbly admits otherwise. “That was tough because they are some of the best trained guys in the entire world as far as tracking is concerned and living in the bush. I didn’t go out and live with them in the bush for a week or even a day but it was a matter of doing these exercises with them. Djimon (Hounsou) got banged up and I hurt my knee. Djimon and I would sit there and talk to each other about the different types of hot chocolates you can get in Paris and croissants and pastries and sit there and dream like two weird women.” 

But formulating an Oscar-worthy performance isn’t all play and gab.  DiCaprio spent a good deal of time researching the political situation, and picking the proverbial brains of relief organizations like Amnesty and Global Witness.   

“Ultimately diamonds are a source of economic stability in Africa but what they’re specifically trying to target is these conflict diamonds, these that have funded these warlords and caused this civil strife in Africa.” 

DiCaprio didn’t forget to bring out the silver lining in the stormy African situation swirling around his movie: “There’s astounding conditions but what I was left with after spending time in Africa, it really was the power of the human spirit there and the fact these people have been through so much and they were still dancing in the streets. The joy and the energy and the happiness they exuded to everyone was unbelievable.”

-- Michelle Foody contributed to this report

Read the rest of this interview in Hollywood Today Newsmagazine by clicking www.hollywoodtoday.net. Reprint rights granted provided Hollywood Today is credited and link used when possible.    

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www.rushprnews.com

www.annehowardpublicist.com

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