Leonardo DiCaprio: “I really am motivated by being able to work with great people and create a body of work that I can look back and be proud of”

Though Clint Eastwood‘s J. Edgar didn’t do the business — or get the critical acclaim — as many of the director’s recent films, there was significant praise for Leonardo DiCaprio‘s performance as the enigmatic J. Edgar Hoover.  With the film finally be released in England, DiCaprio gave an interview to the Guardian about the film, touching upon playing a man over forty years and how working with his co-stars motivates him.

One of the challenges was that DiCaprio played Hoover over the FBI Director’s decades-long career.  He confesses, “The ageing was difficult, that was a huge challenge. It’s a constant adrenaline rush every day – you have so much pressure and stuff to accomplish.”  Nonetheless, DiCaprio says that it was all worth it, saying, “This was one of the most challenging characters I’d ever seen on the page, and it was terrific to breathe life into this person, because he was such a mystery.”