LOS ANGELES, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio says his love of history and quest for a challenging role led him to play Howard Hughes in "The Aviator."
The 30-year-old "Titanic" star earned an Oscar nod Tuesday for his portrayal of Hughes, an eccentric billionaire movie producer and aviation pioneer.
"As an actor, you're constantly searching for that great character," DiCaprio recently told reporters. "Hughes was set up as basically the most multi-dimensional character I could ever come across. Often, people have tried to define him in biographies. No one seems to be able to categorize him. He was one of the most complicated men of the last century."
DiCaprio said filmmakers could easily make 10 movies based on different aspects of Hughes' life, but he and director Martin Scorsese were most interested in Hughes' glory days and "descent into madness."
"(Hughes was) the first American billionaire who had all the resources in the world but was somehow unable to find any sense of peace or happiness," DiCaprio noted, adding it was this "see-saw act" that most intrigued him as an actor.
