Exclusive: Jason Clarke On Baz Luhrmann’s “Extraordinary” 3D ‘The Great Gatsby’: “You’ve Never Seen Anything Like It”

Earlier today we sat down with Jason Clarke, the Australian actor who plays a tough-as-nails CIA interrogator in Kathryn Bigelow's blindingly brilliant "Zero Dark Thirty." Clarke also stars in Baz Lurhmann's ambitious 3D version of "The Great Gatsby," which was originally slated to hit theaters this month but was pushed back to next summer, amidst a flurry of wild speculation. We had to ask him how the film is coming and if there was any truth to the rumors of the film being in post-production trouble.

Clarke recently finished up some ADR work on the movie, and he was nothing short of thrilled from what he's seen. "It's extraordinary. It's completely different to ['Zero Dark Thirty']. Baz is a complete filmmaker. It's in 3D and I have never seen anything like this in 3D," Clarke enthused. Later in the interview he broke down just how insane it's going to be in three dimensions. "Fuck, you remember the detail in 'Moulin Rouge!'? " he inquired, as a reference point. "It's not just like boom, boom, boom – the lampshades, everything is coming out."

Wait, the lampshades? What in the world is Baz up to? Apparently he's translated his fussy perfectionism to 3D, in a big way. "The furniture and everything is built for 3D. That's the level he's coming at you with," Clarke said. "The tables are longer at an angle for 3D. The dresses are designed so they'll come out. Not only is she [Catherine Martin, Luhrmann's production designer and wife] detailed in making them but also she's detailed in making them in 3D. You'll see." Clarke then pantomimed a camera angle as it cruises into a room, saying, "There'll be a fan there so as you come in, everything is in 3D. It just needed some scratch and sniff. That's why I say it'll be amazing and there's never been anything like it."

Okay, but should we be worried about the reports of reshoots and the possibility that Baz had to raise funds himself to complete them? "No," Clarke said definitively. "I mean, you expect that with Baz, particularly if the film is good."

"There's a lot of CGI man!" Clarke continued. "Baz was explaining this zoo sequence and it's like, 'Baz, there are no animals, we didn't shoot with the zoos.' And he's going, 'Yeah, we're going to put them in with CGI.' It's like, 'Oh my god.' " About the soundtrack, which has also been the subject of much speculation, Clarke said, "He's got Jay-Z and Prince…"

But worry not about the process, everyone. Clarke summed it up thusly: "Baz will take as long as he wants because he loves making movies." There you go. You'll get more from our interview with Clarke in anticipation of "Zero Dark Thirty" 's December 19^th limited release (it's out in January everywhere) and Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby" hits on May 10, 2013.