I Share Marty’s Love For Indian Films, Says Leonardo DiCaprio

NEW DELHI – Hobbling into the room withthe help of a cane (“I sprained my ankle”),dressed in a sky blue blazer, a blue dressshirt and white keds, his blond hair slickedback, Leonardo DiCaprio could pass off asan erudite New Yorker, showing little traceof the multi-million dollar-earningHollywood star that he is.At 39, he’s still got the boyish good looksthat made him a marquee darling withTitanic, but his resume is packedwith brave, clutter-breakingmovies that have made him oneof the most respected youngactors. A committed environmentalistand an avid traveller(“I’d love to go to India”),he’s collaborated five timeswith Martin Scorsese, and intheir latest film, The Wolfof Wall Street — whichreleases in India today —DiCaprio plays real-lifeAmerican scamster-stockbrokerJordan Belfort.Scorsese has said that working withyou reignited his enthusiasm formaking pictures. Has he been a biginfluence in your life?Every time I step on set with himI learn something new… and you have to belistening for it becausehis process is so organicwith actors. He’s notbeholden to the plot,he’s not beholden to astructure that ultimately can limit you. He’sa partner in the process of discoveringwhat that movie is through your performance.So I think that ultimatelysteps up your game.Scorsese has often spoken about hisgreat admiration for Satyajit Ray’s cinema,and he’s familiar with contemporaryIndian cinema too. Do you share a love forcinema of the world with him?Marty calls himself a student of cinema,and he’s got his ear to theground, he’s always watching excitingnew films and talking aboutthem to his actors and to his crew. Ido share a love for the cinema, butmy awareness of Indian cinema isn’tas strong as I’d like it to be. It’ssomething I have to work on.You made three films back toback — Django Unchained, TheGreat Gatsby, and The Wolf ofWall Street. Were you exhausted?It felt like I’ve been workingnon-stop since Iwas 13. I’vetaken some timeoff in my 20s,but other thanthat I’ve beenworking nonstopreally. I didn’tfeel exhaustedmaking this filmbecause this waslike a big adrenalindump for me.