And it’s a wrap.
According to E! Online’s Marc Malkin and Brett Malec, Leonardo DiCaprio and Armie Hammer have filmed their kissing scene for the upcoming Clint Eastwood–directed biopic J. Edgar.
According to a source, the scene between the two actors is hot. DiCaprio is starring in the film as late FBI boss J. Edgar Hoover, while The Social Network’s Hammer plays his protégé and rumored lover Clyde Tolson.
"[They did] more [takes] than Clint normally does," the source said. "They wanted to make it right ... It's a more involved scene than just the kissing ... It was so sexy."
Before production began, it was rumored the film had been stripped of its gay content. But screenwriter Dustin Lance Black told AfterElton.com: "To think that somehow you’re going to a make a movie about somebody like J. Edgar and you’re not going to learn what’s in his heart, that’s just not going to happen in a script that I write. It’s unfounded [the idea that the movie is being de-gayed.]"
Playing the Winklevoss twins to great acclaim in the hit movie The Social Network has elevated actor Armie Hammer from rising star to full-fledged stardom.
The latest proof is this: Entertainment Weekly reports that the 24-year-old actor is in talks to join Clint Eastwood and Leonardo DiCaprio’s upcoming J. Edgar Hoover biopic, which will now be called J. Edgar.
The screenplay is being written by Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black (Milk).
Hammer would play lawyer-turned-FBI-official — and, some say, Hoover’s lover — Clyde Tolson. Though the pair didn’t always agree on political tactics, Tolson remained a loyal friend and advisor to Hoover.
Two years ago, Hammer’s biggest role had been that of evangelist Billy Graham in the film Billy – The Early Years. And yes, he is the great-grandson of U.S. business tycoon Armand Hammer and never considered changing his name.
“I’m proud of my family name,” he said in a 2008 interview. “The only time it only hurt was in junior high school when the nicknames started. I also get a lot of questions about baking soda.”
British actress Carey Mulligan has fought off competition from Scarlett Johansson and Blake Lively to land the role of Leonardo DiCaprio's lover in Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of The Great Gatsby.
The Titanic star has been cast as Jay Gatsby in the movie adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's literary masterpiece and rumours were rife over which actress would sign on as love interest Daisy Buchanan.
Gossip Girl beauty Lively was linked to the role after she was spotted enjoying a business dinner with DiCaprio and Luhrmann in New York City earlier this month, while movie insiders claimed Johansson and Michelle Williams were also in the running.
Luhrmann has now confirmed An Education star Mulligan will portray Buchanan after impressing the director with her audition.
He tells Deadline.com, "Regarding the role of Daisy Buchanan, I was privileged to explore the character with some of the world's most talented actresses, each one bringing their own particular interpretation, all of which were legitimate and exciting.
"However, specific to this particular production of The Great Gatsby, I was thrilled to pick up the phone an hour ago to the young Oscar-nominated British actress Carey Mulligan and say to her: 'Hello, Daisy Buchanan.'
Leonardo DiCaprio is no stranger to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In "Catch Me If You Can" he was constantly one step ahead of the FBI as legendary scam artist Frank Abagnale Jr. He also earned the domestic intelligence agency's attention as industrialist Howard Hughes in "The Aviator." Now DiCaprio is set to lead the FBI, playing its very first director, J. Edgar Hoover.
Deadline Hollywood reports that the "Shutter Island" star will take on the challenging task of bringing the controversial Hoover's life to the big screen in a biopic to be directed by Clint Eastwood, who is also producing with Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment. The script comes from Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of "Milk." Deadline further reports that the film is untitled, though IMDb identifies it simply as "Hoover."
A great deal of controversy surrounds the life of the FBI's first director. Hoover served in a leadership role over the FBI and its precursor organizations for a total of 48 years. Although he is credited as being responsible for instituting many of the bureau's grand-scale crime-fighting techniques, he has also been accused of misusing his power for political purposes and employing illegal methods in evidence-gathering. Following Hoover's reign, the FBI instituted a 10-year maximum term for all directors.
As for Hoover's personal life, it is fraught with rumors that he was a closeted homosexual and cross-dresser. Many of these allegations come from untrustworthy sources and have been refuted, but it remains to be seen how Black chose to handle that aspect of the FBI director's life in his script.
DiCaprio teamed with filmmaker Martin Scorsese earlier in the year — their fourth collaboration — for an adaptation of the Dennis Lehane novel "Shutter Island." The actor also has a major summer blockbuster coming next month, sci-fi action/thriller "Inception," from "The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan.
Eastwood has shifted in his later years from grizzled cowboy actor to respected filmmaker. He picked up Oscar nominations for "Mystic River" and "Letters From Iwo Jima," and he took home Best Director and Best Picture awards in 2005 for "Million Dollar Baby," a film for which he also received a Best Actor nom.
Eastwood is set to release his latest directing effort, "Hereafter," later this year. The Peter Morgan-penned supernatural thriller stars Matt Damon and Bryce Dallas Howard. "Hoover" is tentatively scheduled for a 2012 release.
If the story of Adam Lambert's life ever got adapted for the big screen, the singer already knows who he'd like to portray him: Leonardo DiCaprio. The American Idol runner-up thinks the Hollywood heartthrob would be able to fill his shoes just great.
He said: "I have always thought that Leonardo DiCaprio is a really good actor - he could play me, he could get intense."
Adam, 28, also revealed he would love to work with David Bowie in the future, if the music legend could be tempted out of exile. He said: "To be able to work with David Bowie would be amazing - his imagination and creativity are beyond, he's an icon.
The "No Boundaries" singer is also keen to do a duet with a female artist, especially Christina Aguilera or Rihanna. He revealed in a web chat with MySpace Music: "I'd also like to sing with Christina Aguilera - I love her voice, I've been a fan since she came out and I think we would throw down and we would be loud... I would love to work with Rihanna as well - she is so down to earth and sweet and kind and friendly. Her tunes are so catchy and visually she is just giving you beauty."
Leonardo DiCaprio holds onto a cigar and makes a splash on the “The Essentials” edition of Esquire’s March 2010 issue, on stands February 16th. Here’s what some of what the 35-year-old actor spilled:
On fame before Titanic: “It wasn’t the era of penetrating Internet paparazzi that we have now. But my name wasn’t me anymore. I was sort of this thing. Kate felt it, too. But a lot of the attention was on me because of the teenage girls who repeatedly went to see the movie. I had the blond hair, and I was Jack Dawson, this heroic figure.”
When I sat in the theater, it was, Oh, my God, she’s the only person who looks completely natural. She’s the only person who has actually made her character into a real human being who would have an erratic moment because those erratic moments are what make you more human. That was a huge moment of discovery.
On Meryl Streep being the greatest actor in the world: “When I sat in the theater, it was, Oh, my God, she’s the only person who looks completely natural. She’s the only person who has actually made her character into a real human being who would have an erratic moment because those erratic moments are what make you more human. That was a huge moment of discovery. Meryl may be the greatest actor in the world.”
For more of Leo’s cover spread, visit www.Esquire.com.
And it’s a wrap.
