The Great Gatsby: Leonardo DiCaprio & Carey Mulligan

Written by Kelli Gillespie

The roaring 20’s was a time of opulence, indulgence, and unforgettable fashion. The era comes to life on-screen through F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby. Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan talk with Risen about re-writing the past, dreams for the future, hope, wealth, and fame.

Interviewed for Risen Magazine at The Plaza Hotel in New York City

Risen Magazine: From childhood, Gatsby knew what he wanted his future to be. What did you dream your future would look like?
Leonardo DiCaprio: I dreamt of being an actor… those are my earliest memories really. I would impersonate everybody that came to the house. People talk about stage mothers or stage fathers, I was a stage kid; I pushed my parents merely from my own desire and dreams as a youth to become an actor. I think everyone in their life has some connection with Jay Gatsby in that regard. He’s somebody that envisioned his life a certain way and pulled himself up from his own bootstraps and created this vision. We all can identify with that great American dreamer.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan from The Great Gatsby movie. © Warner Bros.

Risen Magazine: Gatsby was sure he could rewrite the past. What would be something in your past you’d like to rewrite?
Leonardo DiCaprio: To tell you the truth, I’m a very lucky individual. I wouldn’t rewrite anything. I think it’s been a pretty awesome ride this far.

Risen Magazine: In the beginning Gatsby desired wealth and fame but as it grew, that desire shifted. At a level you probably experience more than most, is that similar to how you perceive wealth and fame…starting off exciting, but now see it a little differently?
Leonardo DiCaprio: There are always challenges that come with being recognizable. But like anything else in life, you adapt to your circumstances. Anytime people want to ask me about the woes of my life, I bore myself. I wouldn’t want to hear myself talk about it. The truth is, I’ve won the lottery by being able to be a working actor and do what I love professionally. I really have nothing to complain about as an individual.

Risen Magazine: Gatsby has continual hope and a smile that can change a room. What gives you hope or keeps you positive?
Carey Mulligan: I’m pretty positive. I love my work, but I also haven’t worked for about a year and a half and I’m really happy just seeing my family and being with my friends. I feel so lucky to be able to do this for a living that I feel pretty consistently positive because I’ve had such good grace to get me here. I have a great time.

Risen Magazine: When you were young, was acting always your dream?
Carey Mulligan: I always thought I would be an actress. I have no idea how, but I was pretty convinced I’d live in a little garret in a house somewhere in London. I really loved that idea of being a struggling actress and I wanted that a lot. I just never imagined doing anything else. And I was unbelievably lucky to even get my first job and then to continue working. This feels utterly surreal to me.

Interview originally published in Risen Magazine, Summer 2013