Mit dir geteilt
The exterior of Gatsby's Long Island abode was based upon Beacon Towers, a mansion built by Alva Vanderbilt and later owned by Millicent Hearst, the estranged wife of William Randolph Hearst. When writing the novel, Fitzgerald based his conception of Gatsby's mansion on Beacon Towers which was located in Sands Point, New York, the novel's equivalent of "West Egg". Beacon Towers was torn down in 1945.
Actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire have been friends since childhood. This marks the first time they have appeared in a film together since Don's Plum (2001). Before this, they appeared together in Die Geschichte einer Jugend (1993).
Leonardo DiCaprio wanted to play Jay Gatsby because he was drawn to the idea of a man who came from absolutely nothing, who created himself solely from his imagination. When speaking about the role, he said: "Gatsby is one of those iconic characters because he can be interpreted in many ways - as a hopeless romantic, a completely obsessed wacko, or a dangerous gangster clinging to wealth."
On the first day of shooting, director Baz Luhrmann filmed the scene where Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, and Daisy Buchanan have tea during a rainstorm. Since it was a beautiful spring day, Luhrmann had to use 100,000 liters of water to create the downpour seen in the film. Immediately afterward, it rained for the next three days.
The phrase "Ad Finem Fidelis" can be seen on one of the gates at Gatsby's mansion. This is Latin for "faithful to the end" alluding to the fact that Gatsby remained faithful to Daisy until the end of his life.
F. Scott Fitzgerald primarily based the character of Jay Gatsby partly on his neighbor Max Gerlach. After serving as an officer in the United States Army during World War I, Gerlach became a gentleman bootlegger who operated speakeasies in New York City on behalf of Arnold Rothstein. Flaunting his new wealth, Gerlach hosted lavish parties, never wore the same shirt twice, used the phrase "old sport," claimed to be educated at Oxford University, and fostered myths about himself, including that he was a relation of the German Kaiser.
Baz Luhrmann: The waiter that brings Nick to Jordan's table to meet for tea after his lunch with Gatsby.