Leonardo DiCaprio, 'Don't Look Up' director rewrote 'funniest-scene' 15 times!
Leonardo DiCaprio is a known perfectionist. But he went a step ahead for Don't Look Up, his upcoming science fiction flick that is focused on climate change and global warming. He plays a low-level astronomer there and since the film's genre is satire, there will be several funny scenes. To make one such sequence stand out, DiCaprio helped rewrite that 15 times!
Why does it matter?
Don't Look Up probably has all the stars of the galaxy named Hollywood. Apart from DiCaprio, the film stars stalwarts like Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Cate Blanchett, Chris Evans, and popular names such as Ariana Grande, Timothée Chalamet, and Matthew Perry, among others. Everyone has to make an impact, and this proves why the Titanic star would go the extra mile for his role.
DiCaprio wanted to replicate 'mad as hell' speech from 'Network'
Adam McKay, the director of Don't Look Up, in a recent talk told about DiCaprio's streak for perfection. It so happened that the star wanted a copy of the "mad as hell" speech from Network given by Howard Beale (Peter Finch), but McKay expressed hesitation. That's when the two sat down and wrote the scene again and again. That count went till 15.
McKay and team spent two days for Oval Office scene
When it was test screened, that sequence generated the maximum laughs, added the director. But this is not the first time McKay and his Don't Look Up team went to great lengths to get their act right. Earlier in an interview, he had said the cast and crew spent two days for the the Oval Office sequence. Its first cut lasted almost 20 minutes.
The star has several high-profile projects in his pipeline
Don't Look Up would get a limited theatrical premiere on December 10 before hitting Netflix 14 days later. Apart from this, DiCaprio is in final talks to portray cult leader Jim Jones for a feature to be backed by MGM. He will also star in Martin Scorsese's upcoming Apple TV+ flick Killers of the Flower Moon, based on David Grann's 2017 book.
