DiCaprio says 'fascinated' by Gatsby Leonardo DiCaprio, lead actor in the Cannes festival's opening film "The Great Gatsby" says he read F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel at high school but it took on a whole new meaning for him when director Baz Luhrmann offered him the part, when he became "fascinated" by the character. Director Luhrmann, meanwhile, shrugs off mixed reviews for his film. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES.