Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort in a scene from The Wolf of Wall Street
In an interview with Variety, producer and star Leonard DiCaprio has stressed that conman biopic The Wolf of Wall Street doesn’t condone excess but condemns it.
“The book was a cautionary tale and if you sit through the end of the film, you’ll realize what we’re saying about these people and this world,” he told Variety.
The star also gave high praise to director Martin Scorsese. “We grew up watching his films and he’s still making stuff that’s punk rock. It’s an amazing achievement,” DiCaprio said.
He added that were it not for directors like Scorsese, who had a “taste for experimental filmmaking at this level,” then the public would not have an opportunity to watch movies “that don’t fit the criteria for a blockbuster but deserve to get made.”
The Wolf of Wall Street, which depicts the life of New York broker turned conman Jordan Belfort, has earned $34 million since it opened on Christmas Day, Variety says.