The Dallas Morning News - October 30, 1999
Some very nice words about Leo from Scorsese
Excerpt of an interview with Martin Scorsese, when he was promoting "Bringing Out the Dead"
His next film, The Gangs of New York, will again visit that city's urban jungle, this time in the years from 1840 to 1860. It will tell of the warfare between Irish-Catholic gangs and Anglo-Saxon gangs. Leonardo DiCaprio will play an Irish-Catholic gang member, out to avenge his father's death, while Robert De Niro will play the leader of the opposing gang.
"The story is traditional, and it will probably be my most linear movie, telling an actual story," says Mr. Scorsese. "It's a coming-of-age story for Leonardo's character and also a coming-of-age story for New York City. The two parallel.
"All of Leo's choices in the next few years will be scrutinized because of Titanic. But I think The Gangs of New York is a perfect fit for him. He's the best young actor working in movies today. When you look over his entire body of work, you see his power. I always notice an actor's eyes. Leo's got fire in his eyes. It was there in Titanic and in This Boy's Life and all his early films. And Nic's eyes have sadness and nobility, which is right for Bringing Out the Dead."
Mr. DiCaprio has been notoriously hesitant in selecting his post-Titanic films, and agreeing to The Gangs of New York reinforces what Griffin Dunne said about the director. Mr. Dunne, who starred in the eccentric Scorsese comedy After Hours, remarked, "There isn't an actor in the world who doesn't want to work with Marty." "That's an exaggeration, naturally," says Mr. Scorsese, who will be 57 on Nov. 17. "But I know that actors do want to work with me. Let's face it, I'm an old guy. I've been making films for three decades. But a lot of the young actors keep telling their agents that they'd love to work with me. And that makes me feel really good. Then I've noticed that there are some young actors who'd rather work with Adam Sandler than with me. That's their choice." The last comment is made with amusement rather than rancor, indicating once again that a gentler, more mellow Martin Scorsese is walking among us.
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