Leonardo DiCaprio almost turned down `Great Gatsby` role

Melbourne: Leonardo DiCaprio has revealed that he almost turned down the role of Jay Gatsby.

"I was reluctant...what`s so powerful about this novel is everyone has their own interpretation of these characters," News.com.au quoted DiCaprio as telling Good Morning America. But Baz Luhrmann, who DiCaprio worked with during his breakthrough role in `Romeo + Juliet`, proved too persuasive. According to the actor, the filmmaker handed him a first edition copy and said that he wanted him to rediscover the novel and wanted to put it up on film. ANI