DiCaprio resurfaces in 'The Beach'

'Titanic' star carefully chooses next major project

By Copley News Service --February 6, 2000

In a key scene in"Titanic," the highest grossing film of all time, Leonardo DiCaprio boasts he's on "top of the world." The young megastar soon discovered how precarious a perch that really is. Since the James Cameron-directed blockbuster, DiCaprio has only been seen in the critically disdained "The Man in the Iron Mask" and contributed a self-mocking extended cameo to Woody Allen's "Celebrity."

Danny Boyle, of "Trainspotting" fame, directed the film.

"It struck a chord in me," reports DiCaprio, during a recent conversation on the Hawaiian island of Maui. "It took over a year to find something that I connected with. I didn't want to rush into anything. I wanted my next film to be something that I could put all my focus on. I didn't want to go from film to film without really paying a lot of attention. I was given a lot of great opportunities after 'Titanic,' and I wanted to do something I felt a connection with."

And what exactlywas that connection to "The Beach," the story of an exotic and dangerous journey to a hidden island paradise?

"Thematically, there were a lot of great things that this movie said. It was about how my generation is desensitized, influenced by television and media and the movies. We really have a lack of tangible connection with real emotions anymore. My character is on a journey to search for something that he doesn't know what that is. So, he goes to Thailand and discovers that even there it's still part of the American mono-culture, Disney-fied and pre-packaged."

DiCaprio plays Richard, a diaffected American traveler whose seemingly fortuitous run-in with a stranger promises excitement.

"My character wants to find something below the surface of the rich tourism in Thailand, so he ends up attracting this other person who gives him a map to a desert island paradise. It seems to be the answer to all his problems, but in the end he realizes that paradise is a false notion."

DiCaprio is philosophical aboutthe illusion of paradise. As a fabulously rich and famous young man, he has wrestled with the issue of what it truly takes to find happiness.

"No matter where you go, there you are!" he explains. "You have to deal with your demons no matter what position you're in. We've heard the stories about people who have been put in the position of having great fame or wealth and then they ruined it all or passed away. In the end, you've got to deal with who you are. There's no paradise or final train stop that's going to answer all your problems."

Before achieving his present status as an international superstar, DiCaprio began his film career with a string of challenging performances. In the wake of stellar turns in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" (for which he recieved a surprise Oscar nomination) and "This Boy's Life," he was acclaimed as one of the greatest teen actors ever. But now he is 25. With "The Beach," he tackles perhaps his most challenging part.

"I think my character is neither heroic nor a villain. He contains multitudes, constantly contradicting himself. He's complex, changing and mutating throughout the film. WIth all respect to fans of 'Titanic,' I'm an actor, and I have to vary my roles."

While that may seem like a gratuitous slap at "Titanic," that's far from the case. DiCaprio is quick to give that world-wide blockbuster its due.

"'Titanic' gave me far more opportunities than anything I could ever dream of," he happily acknowledges.

Though DiCaprio enjoyed his stay in Thailand, the shoot was a difficult one, shadowed by jellyfish stings, a sinking raft, a heavily publicized rescue at sea and Thai government red tape that ensnared the production. DiCaprio kept his spirits afloat by indulging in his relentless off-screen pranks and notorious joking. And, of course, a $20 million salary can't hurt either. DiCaprio doesn't feel warped by all the money, but he admits that massive onslaught of global Leo mania has changed him.

"It's a huge learning process," he notes. "You get to a point where you have to accept that certain things are out of your control. Trying to fight it only feeds the fire. There are certain things I can't control, and they are going to be their own monster. It's all been my experience and learning. There's no self-help book at the library for 'What Do You Do When You Become Famous?' noboy wrote that book, and nobody I know experienced anything like it. You make mistakes and learn in the process."

Surprisingly, DiCaprio finds the closest thing to anonymity in his home town of Los Angeles. A circle of close pals, including "The Cider House Rules" star Tobey Maguire, keeps him grounded.

"They take me away from the whole world. It centers me and brings me back to who I am. No matter what's going on, they can always bring me back down again. After "Titanic," I went through a period where I couldn't go anywhere. And one of my friends said, 'Are you going to let something that really isn't a part of you affect your whole life? Are you going to hide out like a little hermit?' So I realized I might try and enjoy my time while I'm on this earth."