Last winter, Leonardo DiCaprio got dressed up in expensive clothes and proceeded to do drugs, have wild sex with women, and commit no shortage of financial fraud in Martin Scorsese‘s "The Wolf Of Wall Street." While the movie is based on the life of Jordan Belfort, whom DiCaprio studied for the role, that hedonist lifestyle wasn’t a completely mystery to him either. This Vice documentary, "The Real Wolf Of Wall Street?," explores another figure that may been (and likely was) a source of inspiration for the actor.
You might not know the name Dana Giacchetto, but just Google it and you’ll get a quick record of his notoriety. Founding the Cassandra Group in the ’80s, he rode quick wave to financial success in the ’90s working with name brand clients like Sub Pop, Smashing Pumpkins, Alanis Morissette, Phish, Victoria Williams, Q-Tip, and R.E.M., and hanging with celebrities and supermodels like Leonardo DiCaprio (whom he spent significant time with), Tobey Maguire, Winona Ryder, Harmony Korine, Kate Moss…you get the idea. The parties were legendary, but so too were Giacchetto shady’s dealings, and he soon found himself in prison for fraud, released early when he agreed to enter rehab.
"I was someone who was extraordinarily successful, beyond his wildest dreams, and I flew too close to the sun and, you know, got really burned," he reflected to Vice.
It’s a fascinating story, whether or not DiCaprio used his past life to inform his work in Scorsese’s film. Watch below.
This is amazing, thanks for sharing – I also had the pleasure to see Dana Giacchetto play in his band, Element 4 with the incomparable ( rumored to be his lover) Daphne Guinness. Regardless of inspiration, this documentary is great – good job VICE!