5 Things We Learned From The Great Gatsby Press Junket - Page 3

At the New York premiere for press of the Hollywood film, The Great Gatsby, plenty of cinephiles were excited to see author F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel of the same name come to life.

Even though the film doesn’t reach theaters until next week (May 10), the hype train has been in motion as the cast, director Baz Luhrmann, and costume director Catherine Martin chatted it up with press ahead of the release.

Amazingly, The Great Gatsby, which cost around $100 million to produce, is filled with dazzling set pieces and jazzy iconography of the 1920s. But for those familiar with Baz Luhrmann’s style (he directed the stylistic Romeo+Juliet), one would have to be equally impressed by how the throwback classic is infused with flashes of modern musical brilliance. It was all fused together with a wide array of artists from today such as Jack White, Lana Del Rey,Florence Welch and, most notably, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, who was an executive producer on the film.

Many movie fans were just a twinkle in their parent’s eye when the 1974 film, which starred Robert Redford, made an impact on the big screen. In the 2013 version, Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), leaves his Midwestern home for the rich pastures of Long Island, where he finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and ballertastic lifestyle of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio). Carraway is drawn into Gatsby’s inner circle, becoming a witness to obsession, deceit, corruption and tragedy.

Without giving too much away, Luhrmann’s incentive to bring Gatsby to the big screen (and in 3D no less) began way back in 2004 during an excursion through Siberia. “I had this epiphany,” the director recently told The Wall Street Journal. “I was on that train [in 2004] going through Siberia, and I’d seen Robert Redford in the 1970s ‘Gatsby.’ I thought, ‘Beautiful. But not quite sure who that guy is.'” Crafting this flick around Carraway’s inner voice created a film that is markedly different than previous incarnations.

Hip-Hop Wired was on-hand for all the festivities, and after attending the film’s press junket in New York City this past weekend, we learned five key points about the $125 million 3D project that you should know before hitting the theaters.

—

Photos: Warner Bros.

1. This is DiCaprio & Maguire’s first starring role together as BFFs…

When the two stars were young, they found themselves auditioning for roles opposite one another. Quickly, the duo struck up a fast friendship and made an informal pact to help each other get parts in their movies/TV shows/other projects. While DiCaprio went on to be handpicked by Robert De Niro for 1993’s This Boy’s Life (coincidentally, the character was named “Toby), Maguire got a part as one of Toby’s friends.

The Great Gatsby marks the first time the BFFs shared top billing on a film together. Our hope is that it won’t be the last time. You can watch the man who plays Jay Gatsby talk about growing up on screen in the video below:

—

2. Amitabh Bachchan leaves the American press looking for Leonardo DiCaprio…

While at the New York premiere of the film, the noise level went up to noticeable decibels for a moment, as we the press were left wondering if Leonardo DiCaprio had finally arrived. Actually, it was the presence of Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan who caused quite a fervor in the crowd. Their cheers for the actor were overwhelming. Big B, who has been hailed as a “one-man industry” in India, took to Twitter to announce his excitement, tweeting, “Back from ‘The Great Gatsby’ premiere and [it] has to be said… the EF (extended family) was the main attraction.”

It’s hard not to notice the 70-year-old screen legend, as he plays the shady Meyer Wolfsheim in the big budget 3D picture. Equally impressive are Joel Edgerton and Isla Fisher, who lend praise to their fellow cast mates in the video (which you can watch) below:

—

3. Director Baz Luhrmann used ‘N****s in Paris’ for a wild party scene in The Great Gatsby…

Fitzgerald coined the phrase ‘The Jazz Age’ in his epic novel, and Baz Luhrmann merged the classic feel with the modern stylings of today’s music. The filmmaker admitted that a wild party scene (appropriately dubbed “the 0rgy scene”) between Isla Fisher, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, and a group of other characters needed a push to get the debauchery a-flowing. He said, “We were about 20 minutes away from wrapping and we still hadn’t gotten that kind of wild party feel. The idea of having a wild party was inspired by a book that Leo’s father gave me called The Wild Party.” After being playfully chided by Tobey (“I’m married with children. Don’t go too far.”), Baz turned off the jazz music and began to blast “NIP” at ignorant levels.

Apparently that was just the flow the cast needed to create a hectic, gaudy, erotic-filled party scene. You can watch the filmmaker talk about the visceral nature of The Great Gatsby below:

—

4. Leonardo DiCaprio found an extreme sadness in the character of Jay Gatsby…

Daisy (Carey Mulligan) and Gatsby’s relationship could be seen in different shades. On the one hand, it can be said that there was a wealth of love between the two that existed past time. On the other side of the coin, the two were on opposite sides of the emotional fence. Leo discussed how different their relationship is after studying the novel way back in high school. “I was struck by the sadness in him for the first time,” the actor told PopSugar. “I looked at him completely differently. I looked at him as somebody that was very hollow and searching for some sort of meaning.”

Without giving too much away for those who haven’t read the novel, examining Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship may leave the cinephile with more questions than answers. It is good to note that Leo used his development of the character to actualize the lost of love felt over a long period of time.

Carey Mulligan shares her reaction of earning the role, talks research and more in the video clip below:

—

5. Digging into the history of The Great Gatsby allowed the cast and filmmakers to create innovation…

Catherine Martin, Baz’s wife and costume director for the film, helped to create the visual tone of The Great Gatsby. Tobey Maguire, who plays Nick Carraway, enjoyed being able to do interesting things with the film’s narrative. The “roaring twenties” was full of loose morals, high times and fast times — all of which you can see when the film comes out on May 10th. For Tobey, he and the rest of the cast enjoyed “digging into the truth and reality of that time,” which allowed them to innovate with the 3D and modern mix on the big screen.

Watch the former Peter Parker speak on what’s next, his family and his association with Leonardo DiCaprio in the clip below:

—

Photos & Videos: Warner Bros.