Great Gatsby star Elizabeth Debicki opens up about working with Leonardo DiCaprio

FEW people can offer an insight into Hollywood legend Leonardo DiCaprio — but Aussie actress Elizabeth Debicki is one of them.

Elizabeth Debicki, who worked alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in 2013’s The Great Gatsby describes him as “kind” and “cheeky.” Pic: The Great Gatsby

ELIZABETH Debicki was just 20 years old when she got the phone call that changed her life.

The Paris-born Australian actress was fresh from drama school and heading into rehearsals for a local theatre production when legendary director Baz Luhrmann rang her mobile.

“He was very ‘Baz’ about it,” she told news.com.au.

“He said, ‘would you like to be part of our little show?’”

That ‘little show’ was The Great Gatsby, the glittering and sophisticated Hollywood blockbuster with a $136 million budget and an all-star cast featuring the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Isla Fisher and Joel Edgerton.

Debicki (far left) in Gatsby. Picture: Warner Bros

London-based Debicki, now 26 and back home as ambassador for tomorrow’s Longines Golden Slipper at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, knows that the experience was one-of-a-kind.

“Baz makes such a unique atmosphere — he’s very ‘old Hollywood’ the way he runs his set. It was quite extravagant and epic in scope,” she explained.

“He has a really strong vision as a filmmaker — he’ll put 400 extras into a party scene instead of 42.”

Gatsby was Debicki’s first major role (she’d already appeared in Aus-British comedy A Few Best Men) but she says her co-stars immediately helped put her at ease.

“We were all friends, we hung out outside of filming — it was quite a close set because we were on it for a long time,” she said.

“I was so young and the whole thing was very heightened and overwhelming and scary and wonderful ... I was very lucky that everyone on set was so generous. To have that as your first experience on a film set — it really spoils you.”

DiCaprio is ‘very generous,’ says Debicki (far right). Picture: Getty Images

While DiCaprio didn’t impart any particular words of wisdom on the young up-and-coming actress (“that’s not his style,” she said), he went out of his way to make her comfortable.

“He was very generous and kind ... I learned a lot from that set,” Debicki said.

“Leo was incredibly well-researched and had done so much work prior to coming on set.”

She added that he was the funniest cast member, and that he and childhood friend and co-star Tobey Maguire would often pull pranks on each other during filming.

“Leo is quite funny, and Tobey too — they’re very cheeky when they get together,” Debicki revealed.

“It’s because they’ve been friends since they were kids.”

The actress, who more recently starred in multi-award-winning series The Night Manager alongside Tom Hiddleston, will soon be seen — or rather, heard — in the animated adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit when it’s released in 2018.

Elizabeth Debicki is here as an ambassador for the Longines Golden Slipper Barrier Draw at Rosehill Gardens.