Leonardo DiCaprio has been on the promotional trail for his new film, The Revenant, directed by Alejandro González, director of Bird Man, this month including interviews on Ellen as well as an interview in Parade magazine.
During his interviews, Dicaprio has spoken out about how tough The Revenant, was to film. This isn't the first time that DiCaprio has worked under tough conditions. The blockbuster Titanic, was a famously gruelling experience where he and the cast endured mind numbingly cold temperatures during filming. The experience however didn't stop the actor taking on the another challenge of working in incredibly cold climates again, spending all day rehearsing before shooting all the footage they needed for that shoot day, in an hour and half only using natural light. DiCaprio also changed his appearance for the movie, growing a beard for 6 months, and kept it for a further year for filming. Each day also consisted of 4-5 hours of make up, including the use of wax which was applied to his beard (mimicking the look of ice) and the use of scar make up, that was applied to his face.
Oscar buzz around this movie and DiCaprio's performance have been rife. If DiCaprio is nominated, this would see the actor receive his fifth nomination for an Academy Award, having previously been nominated for best supporting actor for What's Eating Gilbert Grape in 1994 and then best actor nominations for his portrayal of Howard Hughes in The Aviator in 2005. In 2007, he was nominated again for his role in Blood Diamond and then lastly in 2014 for his fourth Oscar nomination for, The Wolf of Wall Street.
Many of his fans have been left disgruntled that the actor has yet to receive an Oscar. With such an impressive body of work, it's no surprise that many feel the actor has been looked over too many times. Speaking on the Today show, DiCaprio spoke out about being recognised in the industry and whether an Oscar would mean something to him or not. DiCaprio gave a frank reply that being recognised is something that means something to nearly everyone, himself included, "I think anyone appreciates those types of things, for sure, of course — you know, to be recognised by your peers." However despite this, DiCaprio has made it clear that this isn't his reason for continuing to take on the roles he does and says he wants to look back and be proud of the films he's made.
During DiCaprio's interview in Parade magazine he was asked about his plans for marriage. DiCaprio, known for his bachelor lifestyle / penchant for Victoria Secret's models said, "That time will come when that time comes. The truth is, you can’t predict marriage. You can’t plan it. It’s just going to happen when it happens.'
During the interview, DiCaprio also discussed his passion for the environment. Famous for being one of the first celebrities to drive a Prius and his commitment to saving the environment, and speaking out at conferences such as, 'Our Ocean' and donating $1 million dollars to the Wildlife Conservation Society at Russia's tiger summit in 2010.
DiCaprio's latest projects, which he is currently filming, is a documentary on the environment. Speaking about the project DiCaprio has said, 'We’ve been all over the world for this, from Argentina to the Arctic. I just got back from China and India. It was an eye-opening experience. We’re absolutely digging our own ecological grave.'
DiCaprio says he has always had an obsession with species and endangered species that men killed off, "Biology was the subject in school that I was incredibly passionate about." Had his acting career not taken of, DiCaprio says that he would have chosen to be a marine biologist, "When I became successful as an actor, I said, “Well, maybe I can lend a voice to this with an equal passion.”
DiCaprio is certainly doing that with his commitment to raising awareness on environmental issues and bringing his celebrity status to help with the cause.
See the clip below for a hilarious clip of DiCaprio discussing making The Revenant and some of his scariest experiences whilst being in the air.