At the press conference of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood in Japan, Leonardo DiCaprio talks about his role in the movie and co-star Brad Pitt: ” Brad & I have been in LA for a long period of time that it was such a natural understanding the soul of who these men(Rick & Cliff) were. “

“What is so fascinating about being able to do movies is your entrance into the world that is unknown to you & Quentin being this incredible cinephile introduced me to all these actors that I had never encoutered before.” he continues.

Also, Leonardo considers his Hollywood success a Miracle: “Just in the sense that I grew up in Los Angeles, I was born in Hollywood, and I know intrinsicly how hard it is not only in our industry – people come from all over the world to this mecca, in this sort of dreamland that is Hollywood – and a lot of people aren’t able to fulfill those dreams. And if it weren’t for the sheer proximity of me being able to go on auditions after school, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here today. The miracle of being able to be not only a working actor but to be an actor that can control your own decisions and your own destiny by your choices is an absolute miracle. And I have not waivered my appreciation for that through my entire life, and I like to work with those that also realized that by working in this industry understand that being a successful actor is in its own right a miracle. And that is the truth, 99 percent of the people don’t get to be in this position.”

He went on to share how proud he is “to have LA natives and family members that I’ve known in my entire life there.”

“I’ve met some of the most fascinating people of my life in Los Angeles as well – people from all around the world that I’ve gotten to interact with. It’s a place where I can go to, and always happy to be back no matter where I am in the world.”

Leonardo DiCaprio, Quentin Tarantino and producer Shannon McIntosh attend the press conference for their movie “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” in Tokyo, Japan on August 26, 2019. The film will be released in Japan on August 30.

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Earth Alliance, an organization launched last month by Leonardo DiCaprio and philanthropists Laurene Powell Jobs and Brian Sheth, formed an emergency Amazon Forest Fund. 

One hundred percent of donations will go toward protecting the Amazon, according to the organization.

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#Regram #RG @earthalliance #EarthAlliance, launched in July by @LeonardoDiCaprio, Laurene Powell Jobs, and Brian Sheth, has formed an emergency Amazon Forest Fund with a commitment of $5 million dollars to focus critical resources for indigenous communities and other local partners working to protect the life-sustaining biodiversity of the Amazon against the surge of fires currently burning across the region. Join Us. 100 percent of your donation will go to partners who are working on the ground to protect the Amazon. Earth Alliance is committed to helping protect the natural world. We are deeply concerned about the ongoing crisis in the Amazon, which highlights the delicate balance of climate, biodiversity, and the wellbeing of indigenous peoples. To learn more or to donate, please visit ealliance.org/amazonfund (see link in bio) Photos: @chamiltonjames, @danielbeltraphoto 2017

A post shared by Leonardo DiCaprio (@leonardodicaprio) on Aug 25, 2019 at 6:51am PDT

Since the beginning of 2019, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research has reported 72,843 fires in the country, with more than half of these being seen in the Amazon region. Huge fires have been blazing through the Brazilian rainforest this week. The fires spell disaster for the local environment and ecology .

With the Amazon wildfires burning and amidst speculation that humans should take some of the blame for the catastrophe, celebrities have begun to use their huge power on the internet to reach people.

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#Regram #RG @IamNickRose: Terrifying to think that the Amazon is the largest rain forest on the planet, creating 20% of the earth’s oxygen, basically the lungs of the world, has been on fire and burning for the last 16 days running, with literally NO media coverage whatsoever! Why?

A post shared by Leonardo DiCaprio (@leonardodicaprio) on Aug 21, 2019 at 12:11pm PDT

Leonardo DiCaprio shared images from Rainforest Alliance and the Rainforest Trust on his Instagram with information on the fires and ways his followers can help take action against it.

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#Regram #RG @rainforestalliance: The lungs of the Earth are in flames. ? The Brazilian Amazon—home to 1 million Indigenous people and 3 million species—has been burning for more than two weeks straight. There have been 74,000 fires in the Brazilian Amazon since the beginning of this year—a staggering 84% increase over the same period last year (National Institute for Space Research, Brazil). Scientists and conservationists attribute the accelerating deforestation to President Jair Bolsonaro, who issued an open invitation to loggers and farmers to clear the land after taking office in January.? ? The largest rainforest in the world is a critical piece of the global climate solution. Without the Amazon, we cannot keep the Earth’s warming in check. ? ? The Amazon needs more than our prayers. So what can YOU do?? ? ? As an emergency response, donate to frontline Amazon groups working to defend the forest. ? ? Consider becoming a regular supporter of the Rainforest Alliance’s community forestry initiatives across the world’s most vulnerable tropical forests, including the Amazon; this approach is by far the most effective defense against deforestation and natural forest fires, but it requires deep, long-term collaboration between the communities and the public and private sectors. ? Stay on top of this story and keep sharing posts, tagging news agencies and influencers. ? ? Be a conscious consumer, taking care to support companies committed to responsible supply chains.? Eliminate or reduce consumption of beef; cattle ranching is one of the primary drivers of Amazon deforestation. ? When election time comes, VOTE for leaders who understand the urgency of our climate crisis and are willing to take bold action—including strong governance and forward-thinking policy.? ? #RainforestAlliance #SaveTheAmazon #PrayForAmazonia #AmazonRainforest #ActOnClimate #ForestsResist #ClimateCrisis ?: @mohsinkazmitakespictures / Windy.com

A post shared by Leonardo DiCaprio (@leonardodicaprio) on Aug 22, 2019 at 7:12am PDT

The post goes on to suggest some ways in which we can help to protect the Amazon.

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#Regram #RG @rainforesttrust Fires are a major issue for our rainforests and our planet. These fires are intensified by many factors, including the climate crisis and deforestation. Loss of habitat through illegal logging and development exacerbates the intensity and duration of these fires, helping to create situations like the one in the Brazilian Amazon today.? .? Wondering what you can do to help?? .? 1. Keep informed about the situation. Sites like Global Forest Watch Fires (http://fires.globalforestwatch.org/home/) provide valuable information about the fires going on right now.? .? 2. Share your passion for the rainforest with your friends. Educate others about this issue and why it is so important.? .? 3. Try changing your daily habits to be more environmentally friendly. Purchasing environmentally-friendly products and reducing or reusing paper is a great way to start!.? .? 4. If you can, make your voice for the environment heard in your local and national elections.? .? 5. Support organizations like Rainforest Trust. While we can't help stop these particular fires, our work to prevent deforestation helps stop fires like this from happening again. .? .? .? .? #amazonfires #amazon #rainforest #wildlife #nature #deforestation #saveacres

A post shared by Leonardo DiCaprio (@leonardodicaprio) on Aug 22, 2019 at 1:33pm PDT

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© BBC Radio

When Leonardo DiCaprio and Quentin Tarantino got together in 2012, they made the blockbuster film Django Unchained. DiCaprio will now be seen in Tarantino’s homage to Hollywood in the film Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, alongside Brad Pitt. DiCaprio plays an actor who works steadily but is insecure about his future or if he will ever be able to reach the heights of a respected actor, a character that we have never seen him play before.

The character Rick Dalton in this film seems remote from you. Were you able to relate to him easily?

Yes, immediately, although my career trajectory had taken a different course, I connected with the character Rick. It was someone who I knew growing up in the industry, and in a lot of ways he’s a man dealing with his own mortality. We are in an industry where you become sort of immortalised by film or television show, but he is realising that his culture and the industry is passing him by. Quentin helped guide me along the process because he has an appreciation for B-grade films and television that I have never seen. I wanted to portray Rick as an actor who has to stop feeling sorry for himself, and that there is always the ability out there to come back.

What does Hollywood mean to you?

It means so many things to me. I was born and grew up in Hollywood, what was interesting growing up in that time period and also seeing the Hollywood of 1969, which I always had a glamorous sort of idealised imagination of. But when it was recreated for the movie, I saw how downtrodden it was with the tie-dye and the hippies and the subculture that was growing, and I guess that was what carried over to the ’80s when I grew up. But you know, interestingly enough, the only reason that I became an actor is because I live in Hollywood. I had dreams of becoming an actor but I never felt part of the club. If I wanted to go to an audition, my mother would pick me up from school and drive me straight there.

You are known for your environmental activism. Are you optimistic that the planet can be saved?

It’s incredibly hard to be optimistic. So much of my life is devoted to these issues and with my foundation work I get inundated every single day with a new cataclysmic turning point in the history of civilisation. These are unprecedented moments. And it’s hard to remain optimistic. We need to step up to the plate as a country and set an example, we have been saying this for decades and decades. And I don’t know what needs to be more clear scientifically to the world community. Ninety-nine per cent of the scientific community is in complete agreement that man’s contribution to carbon emissions is causing this. All we can do is pray and keep fighting.

What achievements of your foundation are you proudest of?

Supporting many indigenous communities. They are on the frontlines for example, of what is going on in Brazil right now with this new administration that wants to enter the Amazon with not only hydroelectric dams and mining and cattle farming, which would mean the disintegration of the fabric and web of life, of the last lungs of earth. We need to support these indigenous tribes that really are the last stronghold in retaining these places from disappearing forever. I won’t give you the specific numbers we give away, you can research that, but we gave over 200 different grassroots organisations that are not part of a massive bureaucracy most of the time, and we’ve supported the local communities that are fighting for not only their existence but the habitat and biodiversity that lives there.

Source: openthemagazine.com

Before you experience Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, take the time to immerse yourself in Rick Dalton’s world by visiting https://www.onceuponatimemag.com/