In this interview which Leonardo
DiCaprio did with Ellen DeGeneres, he is promoting The Revenant, the movie that
would win him his first Academy Award. The interview takes place in a world where
DiCaprio is eager, and some say overdue, for his first Oscar win. Viewers at
the time were expecting The Revenant to be an award-winning performance, and
Leo and the studio are making an effort to sell this film as exactly that.
Ellen states near the beginning
that she believes DiCaprio is destined to win for his performance, and then
immediately shifts to the subject of the intricate camera work used in filming
and the long hours and harsh conditions under which they shot the film.
DiCaprio, for his part, comes off as a serious and dedicated performer who was
willing to brave the harsh filming conditions in order to make The Revenant.
Great care is taken to focus on the dreadful
experiences DiCaprio faced. He cracks a joke about how the days felt “like
Saturday Night Live, but with no punch line,” and he goes on to explain that
they only actually shot footage for about an hour and a half a day while
spending the rest of the long days rehearsing in preparation for the Magic Hour
in the early evening.
Throughout this interview, it is
clear that Ellen’s fan base of suburban housewives is the target audience. In
order to show the trouble Leo went through, images from the film are projected
onto the screen behind DeGeneres and DiCaprio while they speak, and the stage
is lush with plants and other reminders of the natural world. DiCaprio himself,
though, looks polished and acts as charming as ever.
While other interviews from this
time focus on stories from his life that make him worthy of playing such an
extreme character (WIRED Magazine),
this interview is focused on presenting Leo as the heartthrob housewives
everywhere know and love. He is well-groomed and well-behaved, and speaks only
about the seriousness of his work.
For different groups of potential
viewers, a different argument is made as to why they should see the film. While
his above interview with Wired focuses on his life as a maverick adventurer who
would act in this movie for thrills –and whom any teenage reader of Wired
magazine would want to emulate- this
interview with Ellen focuses much more on those that prefer the comfort of
their own homes. Ellen’s audience is more risk- averse and views DiCaprio more
as an artist than as an adventurer. His interview performance speaks to that.
Overall, while DiCaprio’s interview
on the Ellen Show is just another cookie-cutter celebrity interview, it
demonstrates the care that goes into marketing for a film depending on the
audience. DiCaprio takes care to show a side of himself that will be attractive
to Ellen’s largely female audience, and makes a very tailored (and ultimately
successful) argument as to why he should win and Academy Award. The shrubs by
which he is surrounded onstage, and the still shots projected in the background
are reminiscent of his shooting conditions. Ellen and Leo are just friends sitting
in easy chairs, discussing art over a cup of coffee, and they are inviting you
to join them.
Of course, you’d have to see the film first…
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