The Revenant premiere: A chat with DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Iñárritu, Anderson and Gleeson on the red carpet

At the premiere of a survivalist western set in the freezing snow-capped mountains it only seemed fitting that the temperature plunged in Leicester Square to welcome the stars. This did not perturb the rows of die-hard Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy fans that split the crowd like the great Edward/Jacob debate of 2008 – don’t pretend that reference went over your head. Unfortunately the experience has not hardened DiCaprio or Hardy to the weather who both sailed down the carpet with minimal interviews.

DiCaprio plays Hugh Glass, a frontiersmen who is attacked by a bear whilst leading his comrades through the wilderness after being ambushed by the native Arikara tribe. A western at its heart, The Revenant unwinds a tangle of tales of betrayal, revenge and the fight to survive plucked from the dusty stereotypical desert plains and plunged into the magnanimous power of nature’s winter. The destruction of culture as the Americans pillage the Aritkara tribe’s land, and the often sudden brutality they enact to try survive, runs parallel with the tireless hunt Glass relentlessly pursues to get revenge on his fellow trader John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) who betrayed Glass following the bear attack.

Director Alejandro González Iñárritu preserves the realism of his piece by plunging his cast and crew into the very conditions the characters miraculously survived from.

Speaking to Paul Anderson on his time filming in these hostile locations he was the first to mention the challenge of the weather. He spoke about the palpable humanity in all the characters united by the desire to survive.

Domhnall Gleeson, who has enjoyed an impressive year of film following the success of Ex-Machina, the new installation of Star Wars and now The Revenant, spoke to us about the experience of acting in the more violent and squeamish elements of the film.

The premiere was held on a sad day for the acting world following the death of Alan Rickman, with many of the artists paying tribute to the star’s remarkable talent and influential career.

Melissa Hoban
Video: Filippo L’Astorina