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Leo's a diamond geezer
Jan 25 2007 Cinema
Alison Jones hears Leonardo DiCaprio explain why working on Blood Diamond has changed his priorities
When Leonardo DiCaprio's name was announced as one of the Oscar nominees for best actor for his performance in Blood Diamond, it was reward for a year in which he has given flesh to not one but two complex and conflicted characters.
The first was Billy Costigan in The Departed, the undercover cop cracking under the strain of living a double life trying to win the trust of Jack Nicholson's charismatic crime lord.
The role for which he has been nominated is Danny Archer, an initially cold hearted ex-mercenary from Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), whose long dormant conscience is reawakened by fisherman Solomon's (played by fellow Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou) quest to rescue his son, a child soldier.
The smart money says that the Oscar will go to Forest Whitaker, who has already secured a Golden Globe for his towering portrayal as Ugandan despot Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. But Leo, a veteran of two previous nominations (for What's Eating Gilbert Grape and The Aviator), has his game face ready and has adopted the Olympian philosophy that it is not the winning but the taking part that counts.
"It is a pat answer but it's a nice thing to put a lot of hard work and effort into a project or a character like this and for it to be recognised.
"It is certainly not something I expect by any means or that we strive for during filming. The more I acted, I sort of realised I had no control over how people will react to any movie I do. If every actor and every studio had that magic formula we would all be making critically-acclaimed, multi-billion dollar hits every time."
The ceremony itself will place the Blood Diamond stars in something of a dilemma.
The red carpet is an annual bling-fest with the A-listers, particularly the women, dripping in borrowed jewels. However, working on this film has raised the awareness of all those involved to the terrible price that has been paid by many people working in the diamond trade.
Initially meant to be a conventional action adventure about two men searching for the same rare gem, director Edward Zwick decided it should evolve into an issue-based drama about the corrupting trade in conflict or blood diamonds, the sale of which has been used to pay for arms in countries at war.
The action is set in Sierra Leone in the 1990s.
In 2002 The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme was established to monitor the trade in diamonds and prevent the sale of conflict stones.
A voluntary system, it has undeniably improved the situation, however, the message to consumers that they must insist on learning the origin and history of any diamond purchases is one that must be continually reinforced.
"I have bought diamonds in the past, before learning about conflict diamonds and their devastating impact on places like Sierra Leone," admits Leo.
"I was pretty unfamiliar with the ramifications of some of the events that had gone on. But if I ever did buy a diamond again, I would make sure it was a conflict-free diamond and get it certified by the dealer I was buying it from."
A passionate environmentalist, the 31-year-old Californian insists his crusading nature will compel him to pass on what he has learned to anyone willing to listen.
"I am not going to stop talking about conflict diamonds and that issue but it depends when and where I am asked. We attach ourselves to certain causes and mine have
