From the icy waters of The Revenant to the rising temperatures on Earth: Leonardo DiCaprio is stirring a tectonic shift in Hollywood.
The Oscar-winning actor is turning his attention to global warming in his new eco-documentary Before the Flood. Directed by Fisher Stevens, the film aims to raise awareness on the subject and uses President Obama himself to help drive the message home.
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DiCaprio and Stevens plan to use the film in the run-up to next month’s presidential elections, and will show it on college campuses – specially those in swing states like Florida, where Marco Rubio is up for re-election.
“Rubio is a climate change denier, and we want to get these deniers out of Congress, to make them understand the Paris [climate] accords are important and that we need to do more,” Stevens said.
The inspiration for the film came while the pair were in the Galápagos islands.
“We were frustrated with our government, and I felt if the media isn’t getting to the population about climate change, maybe Leonardo can,” said Stevens. “So the message is, it’s up to all of us. It’s a simplistic message but it really is.”
DiCaprio worries for the future of the planet and for humankind, musing that it takes more than quick wit and a few keystrokes to alter this real-life story.
“If this was a movie we could write our way out of this mess, but real life isn’t a movie and we can’t pretend we know how this is going to end,” DiCaprio said. “What we can do is control what we do next, how we live our lives, what we consume – and how we vote, to let our leaders know that we know the truth.”
[ H/T The Guardian ]
