In an interview with the Daily Mail to promote “Revolutionary Road,” Leonardo DiCaprio also took time to discuss his passion for the environment and the new sports car he just bought:
He’s recently traded in his Toyota Prius hybrid car for a £100,000 Tesla, the first high-performance electric car.
‘It’s my first sports car and it’s an unbelievable drive,’ he enthuses. ‘It’s scarily fast and it all happens with the flip of a switch, unlike a piston-driven engine that needs to build up momentum.’
The Tesla Roadster goes 244 miles on one charge and burns no oil.
He also talked about his Obama excitement and the origins of his environmentalism:
‘Since I was a kid I’ve been passionate about different species being pushed into extinction…
‘This is not about me,’ he says. ‘And it’s not about one group of people telling any other group of people how to live. I don’t think it’s fair to tell people to install solar panels, buy (low-watt) light bulbs or drive a hybrid - that’s not a reality for most people…
‘We are the most powerful country in the world and we haven’t made a tiptoe towards renewable technologies. We should be the ones paving the way, the ones other countries look up to. It makes me extremely sad.
‘I was in Rome when Obama won the election. He represents a whole new era. Obama gets it that green technology and the economy go hand in hand, that we can build an industry that will create new jobs and economic growth and make us less reliant on foreign oil.’
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) – An adorable talking dog remained just the sort of escapist movie hero audiences wanted after a week of awful economic news.
Disney’s family comedy “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” with Drew Barrymore providing the voice of the pooch, was the No. 1 flick for the second-straight weekend with $17.5 million, raising its 10-day total to $52.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
“Beverly Hills Chihuahua” is the only light comedy in a market heavy on drama. Chuck Viane, Disney’s head of distribution, said movie-goers may be turning to the perky pooch to help forget the market free-fall on Wall Street.
“This is only word-of-mouth coming back to us from theaters. I don’t have any statistical proof. But they’re telling us we’re getting more unaccompanied-by-children adults coming on their own. They’re looking for a little entertainment,” Viane said. “The axiom we’ve always lived by is funny is money. People come out for comedy. They love to sit back and let someone give them a couple of hours of escapism.”
The weekend’s No. 2 flick — the fright film “Quarantine,” which debuted with $14.2 million — filled the escapism needs for the horror crowd. The Sony Screen Gems release centers on a contagion that turns an apartment building’s tenants into flesh-hungry monsters.
BOX OFFICE TOP 10
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
“It’s probably the perfect kind of movie for today’s climate,” said Rory Bruer, Sony head of distribution. “Let’s just get away from the news, from all that’s going on, and go someplace else, and this is something that’ll take you someplace else.”
The marquee trio of Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe and director Ridley Scott had to settle for third-place with their terrorism thriller “Body of Lies,” which had a $13.1 million debut. The Warner Bros. film centers on a CIA operative hunting the terrorist responsible for bombings around the world.
“Body of Lies” may have dealt with too sober a topic after all the disastrous financial news, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros.
“I think we ran into really difficult timing. The nation suffered such an economic loss this week that the mood of our audience was such that they were probably looking for a little more escapism than to see a movie on terrorism,” Fellman said.
The weekend’s other new wide releases, Universal’s football drama “The Express” and 20th Century Fox’s family fantasy “City of Ember,” opened weakly.
“The Express” — starring Rob Brown and Dennis Quaid in the story of Ernie Davis, the first black player to win the Heisman Trophy — came in at No. 6 with $4.7 million.
“City of Ember,” with Tim Robbins and Bill Murray in a post-apocalyptic adventure set in an underground realm, took in $3.2 million to finish at No. 10.
Keira Knightley’s historical saga “The Duchess” climbed into the top 10 as it expanded nationwide after three weekends in limited release. The Paramount Vantage drama, which stars Knightley as an 18th century aristocrat stuck in a loveless marriage, pulled in $3.32 million to place No. 9.
Two British movies started well in limited release. Guy Ritchie’s London crime romp “RocknRolla” opened with $141,000 in seven theaters. The Warner Bros. release features Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton and Tom Wilkinson heading an ensemble cast.
Mike Leigh’s “Happy-Go-Lucky,” a Miramax release starring Sally Hawkins as a woman whose eternal optimism is continually challenged, premiered with $80,000 in four theaters.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
Golshifteh Farahani plays Leonardo DiCaprio’s love interest in ‘Body of Lies.’
Leonardo DiCaprio had to spend three months in Morocco filming his CIA thriller, “Body of Lies.” But Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, who plays his love interest, could face an even longer exile.
The gorgeous 25-year-old, one of Iran’s biggest stars, is the first Iranian-based actress to appear in a Hollywood film since the 1979 Islamic revolution. She wonders about returning to her homeland now that a court there is weighing whether she broke Islamic law by making the film without permission.
“I had a lot of problems because of this movie,” she told us at Sunday’s New York premiere, where she caught up with co-stars DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Oscar Isaac and director Ridley Scott. “[Iranian officials] took my passport. The intelligence service interrogated me several times. In the end, the judge said, ‘We have to see the movie and then decide what we’re going to do with you.’”
It’s hard to see what would bother them. Farahani plays a nurse who treats DiCaprio’s character, but is wary of his advances, insisting that he first meet her family. She won’t even shake his hand.
Though her passport has been returned, she doesn’t know whether the hard-line government will seize it again if she returns. “I’m on trial,” she said, turning down a waiter offering a glass of wine. The actress, who has been living in France with her husband, Amin Mahdavi, said, “I’m totally in love with Iran. I have family there. But now, if they want to see me, they have to leave.”
Last month, Saudi Arabia’s chief judge threatened to execute satellite broadcast providers who import “deviant” Western movies. It’s no wonder Farahani is reluctant to venture even to relatively liberal Dubai, where “Body of Lies” is to be screened at the country’s film festival.
“I’m going to stay here,” she said. “I lost one opportunity to do a screen test, for ‘The Prince of Persia.’ I’m not ready for that again.”
P.S.: DiCaprio will celebrate his own heritage on Oct. 18, when he’ll be honored by the National Italian-American Foundation in Washington, D.C.
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I would tear up that passport.. You dont need it G…
While they may be Democrat or Republican, some celebrities don’t want to tell you who to elect as the next president, but they do want you to exercise your right to vote.
Leonardo DiCaprio and a few of his famous friends recently gathered to make a public service announcement urging viewers to make sure they’re registered to vote before election day. Sources exclusively tell OK! that the star-studded PSA was filmed at Leo’s L.A. home.
“I mean you do know that, right? You have to register first before you vote,” says Leo in the almost-five minute spot.
Over three days the Body of Lies actor and his production company, Appian Way, put celebs like Tobey Maguire, Forest Whitaker, will.i.am, Jennifer Aniston, Halle Berry, Courteney Cox, Ellen DeGeneres, Jaime Foxx, Jonah Hill, Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman and more in front of the camera to get the message out to unregistered voters, asking them to also tell five friends to do the same.
The spot urges viewers to go online at that very moment to register, many saying they’ll wait while you do so.
“I’ll wait too,” adds Sarah Silverman. “I’m going to take off my bra under my shirt.”
Leonardo.. I DONT BLAME YOU ONE BIT Child….. FORGET ABAWT it.. IT AINT WORTH THE HASSLE… But.. then.. You have the money to build a beautiful BIG MANSION WITH WINGS… and FOR NANNIES.. YOU SURE ABOUT THAT. IS there something your Hiding from us?? hmmmm hmmmmm. I am available.. LOL
