Carey Mulligan on The Great Gatsby

“The intention was to be as faithful as we possibly could [to the novel, The Great Gatsby]. It’s Baz Luhrmann, so you can imagine how big and bright it is... It’s full on. We shot it in Sydney, and everyone in my life is in England or America, so it was hard being away for that long. Since it was so visual, we were all pretty well-behaved and going to the gym. That 20s silhouette... I do well in A-line. I don’t do well in the 20s or 60s mini skirts. I had to slim down with a bit of Pilates.

“The most famous person on set sets the tone for how everyone behaves”

[Leonardo DiCaprio] was amazing right from the screen test. It was me, him and Baz, who was shooting from five different angles. There were four other people in the scene and Leo played every single character, jumping around the room. At one point I was meant to completely freak out, have a panic attack and then he calms me down. Leo was improvising stuff, whispering it to me. I was thinking, why are you helping me? You’ve seen so many actresses today. So the film had a really good vibe. The most famous person on set sets the tone for how everyone behaves.

[Leonardo] was number one on the call sheet and if he walked onto the set in a good mood, which he did, everyday, that meant everyone followed suit. If Leonardo DiCaprio is being lovely and working really hard, then number 15 on the call sheet can’t be a dick.”

This is Carey Mulligan speaking candidly to playwright Polly Stenham about her role as Daisy in Baz Luhrmann’s energetic and glittering adaptation of F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. With costumes by Miuccia Prada, and a glamorous screening taking place this weekend at Cannes, the film is set to be one of the most exhilarating cinematic and fashion events of the year.

The Great Gatsby will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival and released in key locations on 16 May. The full interview by Polly Stenham first appeared in the A/W12 issue of AnOther Magazine.