Face to face - The Great Gatsby - DiCaprio and Maguire. Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio: strong male friendship

We met, discussed and decided everything to mutual satisfaction.

- Interesting, have you read this novel yourself? And Leonardo always says that he was afraid to take on the role, they say, this favorite piece for all Americans...

I’ll admit, I read it only after meeting Leo and Baz. After all, I dropped out of school in the ninth grade, and Fitzgerald’s novel did not make it onto the list summer books, required reading. That's how I missed it. (Smiles sadly.) Of course, compared to Leo, I’m losing a lot. When he gets the role, he turns into a real detective - he finds out everything he can and can’t about his hero. He dragged me to the play “Gats” - it runs for seven hours, where the entire novel is acted out from line to line. I have never sat in a theater for so long in my life!

Despite its many ex-girlfriends, Leonardo DiCaprio can actually maintain a long-term relationship. He and his Great Gatsby co-star, Tobey Maguire, have remained good friends for almost 25 years.

What is undoubtedly one of the longest and most famous friendships in Hollywood. It all started as teenagers when they auditioned for the same role together in the late 1980s.

“After I met Toby at the audition, I felt like I wanted this guy to be my friend,” DiCaprio recalls. “I remember coming home from school and he was working with Whoopi Goldberg outside of Hollywood High. It was high school. And I jumped out of the car in the middle of the scene when they were shooting, practically. I shouted, “Toby! Toby! Toby, give me your number! And he: “Yes, who is it again?”

The couple quickly became friends and vowed to help each other in everything. Help came to fruition in the short-lived television comedy Parenthood, when DiCaprio landed the lead role and encouraged producers to cast Maguire as a guest star, and that continues to this day!

Childhood photos of Toby and Leonardo

This strong male friendship was not affected by time or fame. They remained steadfast while DiCaprio basked in the glory of Critters 3 (DiCaprio's film debut; Maguire was in a creative slump at the time), even earning himself a spot as a leading man. Hollywood actors.

Then the friends went their separate ways. DiCaprio established himself as a teen idol in the film Titanic. Then he took advantage of this popularity to act with directors of such caliber as Martin Scorsese (The Aviator, Shutter Island), Steven Spielberg (Catch Me If You Can) and Clint Eastwood (J. Edgar). . Maguire became popular through famous dramas (The Ice Storm, Geeks, The Cider House Rules), but his real popularity came in the film Spider-Man.

“Every project we do, we discuss it,” says DiCaprio. “Every choice I made in my life, I discussed with Toby, and vice versa. We had endless conversations about certain projects and we talked amongst ourselves and supported each other along the way."

Maguire, 37, and DiCaprio, 38, both grew up in divorced families of modest means in Los Angeles.

“We had pretty much the same upbringing,” DiCaprio says. "We had humble beginnings. We were both young, enthusiastic, ambitious young men who really wanted to catch our luck!”

DiCaprio and Maguire in The Great Gatsby

When asked if they could imagine other actors playing the roles of Nick Caraway and Jay Gatsby, Maguire told Yahoo! Movies: "I can't," and DiCaprio described the casting choices as "very natural."

"Taking the risk of acting in a film of this magnitude and trying to adapt to acting in such a respected, famous novel as 'The Great Gatsby,' it would have been much more difficult for me if I didn't have such a trusted ally as Toby," DiCaprio told press. “I don’t know if I would have jumped into this process as easily if I hadn’t had his support nearby.”

"Gatsby" is not the first film in which friends starred together. They appeared for only a few minutes in This Boy's Life in 1993 and starred in 1995's Don's Plum, a film about Los Angeles teenagers who hang out at a local diner. Over the years, DiCaprio and Maguire have aspired to do something big together, but the opportunity never materialized until Gatsby came along.

Luhrmann calls their union a “true partnership.”

With Carey Mulligan

“I would still watch Toby as Nick Caraway because Toby can pull off any complex character with ease,” says Luhrmann, who also directed DiCaprio's 1996 film Romeo + Juliet. “His relationship with Leonardo is really not an empty phrase. We all knew that if we were going to go through this journey, we had a huge advantage because we were all friends."

On "Gatsby," the couple vowed to be "honest with each other," according to DiCaprio.

Photos from the life of DiCaprio and Maguire

Their chemistry is evident in the film. As Gatsby, DiCaprio embodies his charismatic aura remarkably well. And like Caraway, Maguire is a tough nut to crack for F. Scott Fitzgerald's prose.

"I can't tell you how many times there are countless film set we would do a scene and then ask each other, “What do you think about this? How did I play, do you think?” - said DiCaprio. “We had our very clear private conversations about everything.”

Maguire says he thinks the film business fits perfectly into their relationship - it can spark ambition, but they also root for each other. When Maguire played an injured veteran Afghan war In the 2009 melodrama Brothers, DiCaprio threw a party to celebrate the premiere—an evening widely believed to help Maguire earn a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor.

Although Maguire is married and has two children, his friends still find time for male entertainment.

"We're just like any other mates," Maguire told People. "We laugh and talk a lot. We like to do a lot of things, we have a lot in common, like basketball. We like to play and talk about basketball."

On the basketball court, where they often play, the competitiveness finally kicks in. DiCaprio calls Maguire a "strategist." "He will find a way to win, and that's what happened in his life too..."

Probably few people would disagree that Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio is incredibly talented. Looking through his early works, you are even more convinced that he did not become a good actor, but was literally born one. Steadily going through the cycles of his profession and gradually leaving behind both children's and young and young roles, Leo very smoothly and organically moved into his mature stage, and I have no doubt that having passed through it, he will adequately accept the next one. It would seem that he has a bunch of wonderful works behind him, each of which is good in its own way, but the actor does not stop, and carefully looking at the next project, hits the target, giving, as always, a wonderful fit into the character against the background interesting story. His early paintings not an exception. “In This Guy’s Life,” the still young DiCaprio was lucky enough to play in a duet with Robert DeNiro himself. And he didn’t lose face, having become an excellent on-screen partner for everyone’s beloved idol, the actor himself became an idol for his peers of that time.

This film tells about the world of one childhood. Difficult, sometimes very difficult, often funny, and, of course, always sad. There's nothing too original here. The hero of the film is not a sick child who has to fight not only with the surrounding reality, but also with a serious illness. He did not grow up on the street, wandering the alleys at night in search of drugs, which, by the way, DiCaprio then had to experience in “The Basketball Diaries.” Well, and finally, his hero is not some African boy from a third world country who falls into the clutches of terrorists who ruin lives and push him onto the path of hopelessness. Toby Wolf is an ordinary boy who, after his parents' divorce, remains in the care of his mother and travels around the country with her until she gets married. He gets the aggressive loser Dwight as his stepfather, who takes out all his anger on the boy, calming the volcano inside himself, seething with a reminder of his own inadequacy.

There are a huge number of such stories, both based on real events, like in this film, and fictional ones. So many of them have already been taken out that it is unlikely that viewing will give any revelation. And here the task of any creator is to present the material in an interesting way. I can’t say that Michael Caton-Jones (director of the film) was able to endow the film with any special distinctive feature, which would certainly set it apart from others in a similar genre. The tone here is purely melodramatic, the narrative is leisurely, even though the film spans several years, the soundtrack is fairly sweetened, and the sterile direction sends us more into the undeniably fascinating, but still slightly glossy world of Hollywood melodramas of the 90s, rather than into any then harsh reality, brought to life on the screen thanks to the author’s uncompromising style. So here it’s still worth considering that the movie in front of us is typical. But this does not affect the fun at all. The two-hour running time does not put pressure at all; it’s interesting to watch the fate of the characters. And the message is very encouraging - no matter how difficult your path is at the very beginning, the main thing is to go through it with dignity and with all your might to steer onto the right road. Watching “This Guy’s Life” is like listening to the story of a good old friend over a cup of hot coffee in a cozy cafe.

But let me return again to the leading actor of the film. I don’t even know who loves whom more – DiCaprio’s camera, or DiCaprio’s camera? He is so natural in all his images that it seems that before us is not an ordinary mortal, but a person who has lived dozens of lives. His Toby is definitely multifaceted. Very often such characters look artificial and presented one-sidedly. Here we see a real, living personality, with advantages and disadvantages, who does not require pity for himself, which is very important and what is very captivating. DiCaprio carefully allows his character to grow without slipping into abrupt and false changes in the game. But there are two opinions about DeNiro’s work. No, maybe the real Dwight really was such a hysterical and stupid clown, and the actor, as always, performed a magical transformation, but still, how I would like to see a more ambiguous subject, from whom unpredictability emanates. The bonuses in the film are the still very young and “green” Tobey Maguire and Carla Gugino they have very small roles, but damn, what a pleasure to watch young talents, who then had yet to give the audience many interesting and memorable roles.

P.S. Another story of a difficult youth, based on real events, which, not without the help of the film’s protagonist, played by the general public’s favorite Leonardo DiCaprio, can be remembered and loved by the heart. Despite the seriousness of the story, the mood of the film is light and airy, hence expect strong social drama not worth it. This is a movie for uplifting the spirit, not for deep thought.

The famous actor and, Leonardo DiCaprio, is known not only for his roles, but also for the number of ex-girlfriends. And if he cannot maintain long-term relationships with them, then the same cannot be said about his real friends. For 25 years, Leonardo DiCaprio and the equally famous actor Tobey Maguire remain best friends. Their relationship began back in the 80s, when both, as teenagers, met at an audition for the same role. From that moment to this day, nothing can destroy these brotherly bonds. Sometimes this friendship resonates with joint projects, as it was in the film “The Great Gatsby”. And every time they support each other.

It is not without reason that it is said that male friendship is a model of devotion, fidelity and selflessness. And looking at these two, already adult and accomplished men, we can say with confidence that such a relationship is quite real.

When the boys met for the first time, they were only 14-15 years old. The guys quickly became friends and vowed to help each other in everything. DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire never forgot about this oath. Every role for one was an opportunity for the other to get a job. There was also a time when Leonardo became one of the top sought-after Hollywood actors, and at that time Toby experienced creative stagnation. But this situation did not affect their relationship, but only strengthened their friendship.

In 2000, having already achieved some results in their careers, the guys met again on the same set. However, the film "Don's Plum Cafe" was not filmed in the USA, since friends became the initiators legal proceedings. After all, in their opinion, this tape could harm their reputation and jeopardize their careers.

Remaining fast friends, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire each went their own acting path. Two friends in certain moments star life woke up famous all over the world. For Leo, the most important and fateful film was the film “Titanic”. And Toby, having played the role of Peter Parker in the film Spider-Man, is still perceived by fans as a kind of superhero. But what’s interesting is that DiCaprio also auditioned for the same role. However, he gave way to his best friend.

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Tobey Maguire and Leonardo discussed each of their creative steps with each other. According to some opinions, the actors became such friends because they had similar fates and education. But, nevertheless, no matter what assumptions are made, more strong friendship has not yet been noticed in Hollywood.