USA: Director Clint Eastwood and star Leonardo DiCaprio arrive on the red carpet for the premiere of their new biopic, "J. Edgar"

Record ID: 220633

  • Title: USA: Director Clint Eastwood and star Leonardo DiCaprio arrive on the red carpet for the premiere of their new biopic, "J. Edgar"
  • Date: 4th November 2011
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 03, 2011) (REUTERS) ***CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** WIDE SHOT OF CHINESE THEATRE VARIOUS SHOTS OF POSTERS WIDE SHOT OF CAST CLOSE UP OF CLINT EASTWOOD CLINT EASTWOOD, LEONARDO DICAPRIO AND ARMIE HAMMER DICAPRIO POSING (SOUNDBITE) (English) LEONARDO DICAPRIO ON HOOVER, SAYING: "I don't necessarily have to believe in someone's political ideology in order to play them or even sympathize with them. I don't know even how much I did empathize with J. Edgar Hoover, but I knew that he was a great patriot at one time in our country and I think that he transformed our country in a much different time period than I know about. It is ultimately a story about how absolutely power corrupts absolutely. This man at the end of his career was a political dinosaur and he stayed in power for way too long and he did not recognize that our country was changing during the civil rights movement." VARIOUS OF DICAPRIO TALKING TO JOURNALIST EASTWOOD ON THE ARRIVAL LINE (SOUNDBITE) (English) CLINT EASTWOOD ON DICAPRIO SAYING: "He wanted to do it very badly. I appreciated the fact that he was a young guy who wanted to branch out and do character roles and for a guy who is a leading guy who could just go around and do potboilers if he wanted to and make a lot of money, he always picks something that challenges himself." NAOMI WATTS ON THE RED CARPET (SOUNDBITE) (English) NAOMI WATTS SAYING: "I just loved the experience. I knew that Clint and heard about his process. But, I didn't know how Leo worked and I had a great time working with him and he takes his work very seriously. He had a lot to do with that role, the speed that we were moving, the whole thing was shot in 40 days." WATTS ON THE ARRIVAL LINE EASTWOOD TALKING TO JOURNALIST ARMIE HAMMER ON THE RED CARPET WIDE SHOT OF PAN OF CARPET DICAPRIO SPEAKING TO JOURNALIST HAMMER BEING INTERVIEWED CLOSE UP OF CLINT EASTWOOD TALKING TO REPORTERS WIDE SHOT OF CARPET
  • Embargoed: 19th November 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa, Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA829NPXN4576RWNQXIIBZ2JYI0
  • Story Text: Stars Clint Eastwood and Leonardo DiCaprio shared the red carpet Thursday night (November 03) in Hollywood for the world premiere of the biopic, "J. Edgar."
    Directed by Eastwood, the film stars DiCaprio, as F.B.I director J. Edgar Hoover, a complex character who can comfortably wear either the title or villain or hero in the film.
    As seen through the eyes of Hoover himself, J. Edgar explores the personal and public life and relationships of a man who could distort the truth as easily as he upheld it during a life devoted to his own idea of justice, often swayed by the darker side of power.
    "J. Edgar" also explores the mysteries and innuendo surrounding Hoover, ultimately leaving it up to the viewer to decide whether the first director of the F.B.I was a cross-dresser or the extent of his close relationship with colleague Clyde Tolson, played by Armie Hammer.
    Those complexities are what attracted DiCaprio to the part.
    "I don't necessarily have to believe in someone's political ideology in order to play them or even sympathize with them," explained DiCaprio.
    "I don't know even how much I did empathize with J. Edgar Hoover, but I knew that he was a great patriot at one time in our country and I think that he transformed our country in a much different time period than I know about. It is ultimately a story about how absolutely power corrupts absolutely. This man at the end of his career was a political dinosaur and he stayed in power for way too long and he did not recognize that our country was changing during the civil rights movement."
    Eastwood, who shot the film at the breakneck pace of forty days, was impressed with DiCaprio and his commitment to the project.
    "He wanted to do it very badly," said Eastwood. "I appreciated the fact that he was a young guy who wanted to branch out and do character roles and for a guy who is a leading guy who could just go around and do potboilers if he wanted to and make a lot of money, he always picks something that challenges himself," said Eastwood.
    The all-star cast also includes Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas and Judi Dench.
    "I just loved the experience. I knew that Clint and heard about his process. But, I didn't know how Leo worked and I had a great time working with him and he takes his work very seriously. He had a lot to do with that role, the speed that we were moving," added Watts.
    The "J. Edgar" premiere also helped kick off the AFI Fest 2011, the American Film Institute's festival celebrating the very best of global cinema in the center of the film capital of the world.
    "J. Edgar" opens on November 9.
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