In his career, Leonardo DiCaprio has worked for many great directors. One of them was Clint Eastwood, with whom the star made the biopic J. Edgar about the titular FBI chief. In order not to blow the costs of the film with its market value, DiCaprio took a big pay cut.
Our international sister site SensaCine recalled the story, which first appeared in the Hollywood Reporter 13 years ago.
Leonardo DiCaprio was satisfied with a much lower fee for Clint Eastwood
In the Hollywood Reporter interview, Eastwood and DiCaprio talked about the making of the 2011 biopic. The director also mentioned that the lead actor 2 million dollars fee instead of the original 20 million accepted to enable the financing of J. Edgar:
He could have made a lot of money just making spectacle films with all kinds of CGI. But he wants to diversify his career, just like I’ve always tried to diversify my career as a director.
J. Edgar follows the life of the controversial FBI founder over several decades. The rise of the protagonist in his younger years is illuminated as well as questionable success as a dictatorial and increasingly paranoid boss. The homoerotic relationship between Hoover and his closest colleague Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer) also plays a role in Eastwood’s film.
Where can you watch J. Edgar with Leonardo DiCaprio?
If you want to watch the Clint Eastwood film about the legendary FBI director now, you can currently only watch J. Edgar Rent or buy from providers such as Amazon or Apple TV. It is currently not available anywhere in a streaming flat rate.