Leonardo DiCaprio says making ‘The Revenant’ was like "rehearsing theatre."
The 41-year-old actor has been vocal about the tough conditions for making his new movie, in which he had to eat raw bison liver, film in sub-zero temperatures and take shelter inside a dead horse, but the cast and crew were also restricted by the tight schedule in which to capture the scenes and it gave the shoot a live performance vibe.
Speaking about the film, in which he plays legendary American frontiersman Hugh Glass who sustains injuries from a brutal bear attack and is left for dead, Leonardo told ‘This Morning’: "They wanted to shoot in natural light so we had this hour-and-a-half window and that was one of the things that was so unique about this movie – every day was almost like rehearsing theatre. You work out your co-ordination with the other actors, the camera, and all other departments and then you have this manic hour-and-a-half of natural light where you have to achieve that day’s work. If you don’t achieve it, you’re back the next day – it was like an adrenaline filled experience every single day."
The cast – which includes Tom Hardy, Domhall Gleeson and Will Poulter – filmed the movie in the wilderness for nine months.
DiCaprio said: "It was one of the most difficult experiences for the entire crew and cast … our director wanted to really immerse us in nature and give us a documentary feel to the movie making experience."
The movie has received 12 Academy Award nominations with DiCaprio up for Best Actor, Alejandro G Inarritu in the running for Best Director and Hardy up for Best Supporting Actor and the movie will compete for Best Picture among others.
Leonardo DiCaprio: The Revenant was like live theatre
