| Priority Transcript |
Thanks Liz! The Priory is shown on Channel 4, it's a chat show, with a live audience. I’ll try and set the scene. Leo and Danny were supposedly hidden away in a broom cupboard! My feeling is that their bit was filmed at another time and then edited in to make it look as if they were there at the same time as the audience. The girls in the audience were amazingly calm if Leoonardo DiCaprio was in their midst!! The show is presented by Zoe Ball (Leo and Danny also did an interview on her Radio One breakfast show) and Jamie Theakston – a popular TV presenter. I’m not sure when this was filmed, it could have been the morning after The Beach premiere party, as Leo and Danny have both got that ‘morning after’ look! Leo’s wearing black trousers and a black shirt - the sleeves are tight due to the ever growing biceps!The goatee is also plain to see. Leo and Danny are introduced by Zoe in the studio, and Jamie goes into the broom cupboard.......... Jamie Theakston: Guys, you’re in here, what are you doing in here? Leo and Danny laugh. Jamie shakes hands with them both and sits down. JT: Leo, how are you, nice to have you here. Leonardo DiCaprio: Hey, how are you? JT: Danny nice to see you. Danny Boyle: Hello Jamie. JT: Thanks for coming on the show. We’re having so much fun in there (points to door) You don’t know what’s going on in there! DB: Neither does the audience! JT: But we are thrilled that you’ve come to the Priory, partly because I understand you’re not doing any more TV shows, is that right? LD: Er, no I don’t think we are, no. JT: And it’s costing us what…..only, what is it 25 million? (Leo looks at JT and grins) DB: It’s all free. JT: Leo, were you aware of Danny and what Danny had done before? LD: Yeah, absolutely, yeah. You know, I’d seen Shallow Grave and Trainspotting as well. I met him a couple of years before when Trainspotting was released in Cannes and we met there and talked briefly. Then we met up again about a year later and we just really got along well, and I told him – look, if there’s ever anything that comes up, if you ever want to work with an American actor, basically, let me know. And he did, this came along and it was perfect timing, it was something that I really connected with right away, you know? JT: So when Leo said that to you Danny – if you’ve got anything – did you think – yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that before, you obviously didn’t believe him surely? DB: At the time we didn’t have anything really, but you thought – well if we did have a chance to have an American character, it’d be a fantastic chance to have someone like him, because he’s very, erm, he just sort of mucks in really. JT: So, there were no fall outs at all? DB: No. LD: No, not at all. There was never any situation, I mean, I think that every actor has to give the film to the way of the director, and you can only give your opinion on certain things, you know, throw as many ideas as you can or argue a certain point. But in the end, he makes the ultimate decision on everything. I don’t think any actor should overpower that, unless of course the director really sucks, and he doesn’t really suck! (Leo and Danny look at each other and laugh) JT: Well, we’ve got a clip of the film so let’s take a look. (Waterfall scene is shown) JT: After the success of Titanic, which, I understand, was a pretty huge film. LD: Hmm, yeah I heard about that one too (grins) JT: Didn’t you just think – I can take some time out now, just knock it on the head. I mean, it did become ridiculously huge. LD: Yeah, it did, absolutely. It turned into this monster, that I don’t think anyone could foresee before starting the movie what it had become, it was truly unbelievable. And it took me a while to find something that I could really connect with. JT: Well listen, backpackers are by definition horrific, they’re horrendous people. I don’t know if you’ve spent any time travelling, I did it for a while and I can’t bear them. You must have spent some time there, did you meet many? LD: I wouldn’t say they were horrific. JT: (Interrupting) No, they are, they are. LD (raises voice, just a little) They’re not as horrific as, you know, the people who build hotels in the place, big businessmen that come in and sort of rape the identity of these places. JT: But they do that in their own insidious kind of way, that’s the thing, and that’s what, I think, the film catches on, in places. (at this point Leo just takes a deep breath and sits back, as if he gives up on the argument) We only heard about it back here, there seemed to be some environmental fuss at the beginning of filming, was that the case? Were some of the locals upset? LD: (Looks at JT in mock puzzlement) I hadn’t heard about that! DB: I mean, any film crew damages wherever it goes to a degree. You’ve just got to make sure you repair what you’ve done, and we made sure that everything that we’d done to the island was put back the way it was, at the very least. If we couldn’t contribute something to the island, at least we could leave it the way it was. LD: Or even better condition. I saw the video footage before we got there even, it was literally like a camp-ground, a lot of people came in. In a lot of ways they trashed the island. I saw that 3 tons of garbage was taken off and the film crew completely cleaned it up. It was unfortunate, we were viewed as this Hollywood monster that came in and destroyed their island, when in fact we cleaned it up and made it into better condition that it has ever been. JT: Now Leo, again going back to rumours, and I don’t need to tell you about rumours. I mean, let’s face it, you’ve lived through quite a few. Things like, you got stung by all sorts of jellyfish, you had girls stripping in your room (Leo and Danny look at each other and laugh) shark attacks, drowning on a boat, how much of this is true? LD: Non of that is true, but I did get attacked by crayfish and lobsters (Danny is cracking up at this point!) JT: Just nipping? LD: Yeah, really horrible, I don’t really like to talk about it, it was so tragic. JT: But they’re only this big (holds fingers 3 inches apart) LD: No, there were no crayfish or anything like that! (Did JT think he was being serious?!) But there were giant schools of jellyfish, that’s the one truth. All the actors had to swim through them and get stung, and you either, like, put vinegar or urine on your leg. JT: I heard about that. Is it true that the boat sank? DB: Yeah, we were on this boat, it was a beautiful day and it was just flat. And then suddenly there were these waves like 10 feet high. (Leo is fiddling with his nails at this point, how many times has he heard this story?!) and you just knew we were going to sink. It’s not like in the movies where people shout – the boat’s going down. It’s just silent and people just looked at each other and know it’s going to sink, and there’s nobody near. And we went down in the end and they couldn’t get the safety boats in because they were frightened of the propellers churning people up. There were people everywhere in the water, and equipment, so it was very scary. JT: (To Leo) Is this the toughest film you’ve ever had to make? LD: Oh no, no (Danny’s laughing again) no, no (Leo can’t stress enough that this film wasn’t tough!) Titanic was pretty much the hardest film I’ve ever had to do in my life. I think no film will ever compare to the hardships (laughs) no, that was a lot of intense work and it took a long time. As far as physical labour and hard work, that was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. This (The Beach) was easy, this was fun. You know, the opportunity to get into a fantastic character and work in a beautiful location with great people. JT: (To Danny) You were too easy on him! Listen, thanks so much for coming, it’s been a pleasure. LD: Thank you very much. JT: If you want to come in later, or are you happy here? LD: (Laughs) We’re alright! |
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