Leonardo DiCaprio on "Django Unchained"
Holiday blockbuster "Django Unchained" from director Quentin Tarantino opened to rave reviews and big numbers in the box office.
In the film, acclaimed actor Leonardo DiCaprio fills the role of a cruel slave owner, who epitomizes the worst of the slave trade seen before the Civil War.
DiCaprio recently told the TODAY show that he was "uncomfortable," during some scenes in the movie, depicting a character he described as "the most deplorable human being" he had ever seen in a screenplay.
The movie takes place in the American South, two years before the Civil War erupted.
Slave, Django, portrayed by actor Jamie Foxx, partners with bounty hunter, Dr.
King Schultz, played by Christoph Schultz.
Django leads Schultz to his prey and is set free as a reward.
The former slave decides to stay with the bounty hunter to rid the South of terrible criminals.
There is also another prize at stake.
Django wanted to be reunited with his still-enslaved wife, Broomhilda.
She is owned by a brutal man, depicted by DiCaprio, who pits slaves against each other in horrific battles where only the victor lives.
When slave owner Calvin Candie learns of Django's motives from his house slave, Django, Schultz, and Broomhilda are thrown into a fight for their very survival and freedom.
Stars Kerry Washington (Broomhilda) and Samuel L.
Jackson (house slave, Stephen) join the celebrated cast.
Although set in the South, the movie features effects often seen in Western movies, a favorite of director Tarantino.
The scenes that made DiCaprio most uncomfortable included the use of the "N" word, commonly used by owners at the time to refer to their slaves.
He says he was encouraged by costars Jamie Foxx and Samuel L.
Jackson to do justice to the role, even though it meant using deplorable words.
Despite his misgivings on the character, DiCaprio describes himself as drawn to the role, because Candie is "an incredibly colorful character.
" DiCaprio goes on to describe his character as similar to Louis XIV, who "was born into a world of entitlement and lived his life essentially owning other people and having his life dependent on other people's lives.
" Director, Tarantino, shines through in the film, which he worked on for years before bringing to the big screen.
"Django Unchained" brings Tarantino and DiCaprio together for the first time, an experience DiCaprio found favorable.
He told Entertainment Weekly that Tarantino has "his own unique, specific style," which is clear to moviegoers.
In fact, many film enthusiasts go to see movies directed by Tarantino, regardless of the cast or content.
Talking about the Tarantino qualities that shine through in the movie, DiCaprio praises the director, saying that "It really takes a director like Quentin Tarantino to say, 'Look, this is...
the time period that I want to do a film about and I want to go to these extremes.
'" While those extremes left actors uncomfortable in scenes and may have the same effect on theatre audiences, they are both an authentic and realistic portrayal of the gruesome life faced by slaves before the Civil War.
DiCaprio believes fans will see this as an "incredibly entertaining movie," despite the squeamish depictions of slave owners treating their slaves as a "subspecies.
" Even Tarantino, who created DiCaprio's despised character, regards Candie as the first villain he didn't like.
Despite that, the scenes that come out at the end shed an important light on the time period.
DiCaprio earned a Golden Globe nomination for his work in "Django Unchained" but regards it with his typical nonchalance.
The star says he is still shocked by the superstardom he attained after the release of "Titanic" in 1997.
Nevertheless, he's grateful for how his career skyrocketed afterwards, saying it allowed him "an opportunity from that point on to choose roles that I wanted to do.
" The vile nature of the character he adopts for "Django Unchained," a character who is "rotting from the inside," may find him even more accolades in the future.
DiCaprio literally shed sweat and blood during the filming, impaling his hand on a broken wine glass while in character and pounding a table in fury.
DiCaprio was so caught up in this motion that he actually considered continuing to film that scene, before realizing that he was bleeding badly.
This illustrates the admiration he holds both for Tarantino and the importance of the movie's message.
" Django Unchained " is rated R and opened in theaters on Dec.
25, 2012.
In the film, acclaimed actor Leonardo DiCaprio fills the role of a cruel slave owner, who epitomizes the worst of the slave trade seen before the Civil War.
DiCaprio recently told the TODAY show that he was "uncomfortable," during some scenes in the movie, depicting a character he described as "the most deplorable human being" he had ever seen in a screenplay.
The movie takes place in the American South, two years before the Civil War erupted.
Slave, Django, portrayed by actor Jamie Foxx, partners with bounty hunter, Dr.
King Schultz, played by Christoph Schultz.
Django leads Schultz to his prey and is set free as a reward.
The former slave decides to stay with the bounty hunter to rid the South of terrible criminals.
There is also another prize at stake.
Django wanted to be reunited with his still-enslaved wife, Broomhilda.
She is owned by a brutal man, depicted by DiCaprio, who pits slaves against each other in horrific battles where only the victor lives.
When slave owner Calvin Candie learns of Django's motives from his house slave, Django, Schultz, and Broomhilda are thrown into a fight for their very survival and freedom.
Stars Kerry Washington (Broomhilda) and Samuel L.
Jackson (house slave, Stephen) join the celebrated cast.
Although set in the South, the movie features effects often seen in Western movies, a favorite of director Tarantino.
The scenes that made DiCaprio most uncomfortable included the use of the "N" word, commonly used by owners at the time to refer to their slaves.
He says he was encouraged by costars Jamie Foxx and Samuel L.
Jackson to do justice to the role, even though it meant using deplorable words.
Despite his misgivings on the character, DiCaprio describes himself as drawn to the role, because Candie is "an incredibly colorful character.
" DiCaprio goes on to describe his character as similar to Louis XIV, who "was born into a world of entitlement and lived his life essentially owning other people and having his life dependent on other people's lives.
" Director, Tarantino, shines through in the film, which he worked on for years before bringing to the big screen.
"Django Unchained" brings Tarantino and DiCaprio together for the first time, an experience DiCaprio found favorable.
He told Entertainment Weekly that Tarantino has "his own unique, specific style," which is clear to moviegoers.
In fact, many film enthusiasts go to see movies directed by Tarantino, regardless of the cast or content.
Talking about the Tarantino qualities that shine through in the movie, DiCaprio praises the director, saying that "It really takes a director like Quentin Tarantino to say, 'Look, this is...
the time period that I want to do a film about and I want to go to these extremes.
'" While those extremes left actors uncomfortable in scenes and may have the same effect on theatre audiences, they are both an authentic and realistic portrayal of the gruesome life faced by slaves before the Civil War.
DiCaprio believes fans will see this as an "incredibly entertaining movie," despite the squeamish depictions of slave owners treating their slaves as a "subspecies.
" Even Tarantino, who created DiCaprio's despised character, regards Candie as the first villain he didn't like.
Despite that, the scenes that come out at the end shed an important light on the time period.
DiCaprio earned a Golden Globe nomination for his work in "Django Unchained" but regards it with his typical nonchalance.
The star says he is still shocked by the superstardom he attained after the release of "Titanic" in 1997.
Nevertheless, he's grateful for how his career skyrocketed afterwards, saying it allowed him "an opportunity from that point on to choose roles that I wanted to do.
" The vile nature of the character he adopts for "Django Unchained," a character who is "rotting from the inside," may find him even more accolades in the future.
DiCaprio literally shed sweat and blood during the filming, impaling his hand on a broken wine glass while in character and pounding a table in fury.
DiCaprio was so caught up in this motion that he actually considered continuing to film that scene, before realizing that he was bleeding badly.
This illustrates the admiration he holds both for Tarantino and the importance of the movie's message.
" Django Unchained " is rated R and opened in theaters on Dec.
25, 2012.
