Leonardo DiCaprio defends 'Wolf of Wall Street' amid controversy and fan backlash

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as stockbroker Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street, his fifth collaboration with director Martin Scorsese. The director's work often focuses on morally gray characters such as gangsters, mafia members and corrupt police officers, and his latest film is no different as it depicts the white-collar crime and excess of the 1990s through Belfort's rise and eventual collapse. But some fans felt The Wolf of Wall Street has taken things a bit too far with its portrayal and have accused the film of glorifying the lifestyle it shows.

In an interview with HitFix, DiCaprio addressed that controversy:

"I think anyone who thinks that missed the boat entirely. I grew up in a generation of watching Marty's movies and when you come from a standpoint of being someone who is so influenced by him and De Niro's work, to hear specific reactions they had to films that, now, as the years roll by - we're all desensitized to those things, you know what I'm saying? To hear that there were any type of reactions that weren't - I'm not saying people should particularly praise this film for that reason, but I think it takes a while to permeate into the culture a little bit. When I see his movies now, it's a shock to me that there was ever any kind of - I mean I listened to stories of The Last Temptation of Christ. I listened to stories of Goodfellas and Taxi Driver and even Mean Streets, but to me they're a classic part of American cinema history that have influenced so many other filmmakers and so many other genres. It's insane."

What do you think, moviegoers? Do you agree with DiCaprio's defense, or are you on the side of those who are upset with Scorsese's latest work? Let us know in the comments below.