Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Carey Mulligan kicked off the 2013 Cannes Film Festival with the European premiere of The Great Gatsby on Wednesday. Director Baz Luhrmann and cast members Amitabh Bachchan, Elizabeth Debicki, and Isla Fisher were also in attendance. As were co-writer Craig Pearce and production designer Catherine Martin.

All participated in a press conference, where Luhrmann and DiCaprio praised the source novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald while trying to make room for their own interpretations.

DiCaprio said of Luhrman, “No matter what he creates, no matter what world he puts it in, no matter what he adds to it, he is vigilant about getting the essence of the drama of these great pieces of literature… he is vigilant about dissecting each and every scene and getting to the truth.”

The Great Gatsby, which opened on Friday in the United States, has already made more than $50 million at the box office. However, it has also received mixed reviews from critics – a fact that Luhrmann doesn’t concern himself with.

“I knew that would come,” he said, “I just care that people are going out there and seeing it.”

The Great Gatsby is not participating in the official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival and is currently out in theaters.

Read Uinterview's review of The Great Gatsby here.

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