Skip to main content
/entertainment

Inside Leonardo DiCaprio's secret movie set

  • Story Highlights
  • Leonardo DiCaprio has started filming his new movie "Inception" in Paris
  • The contemporary sci-fi action thriller stars Marion Cotillard and Ellen Page
  • The setting includes the famous Pont de Bir-Hakeim bridge on the Seine
  • Shooting will continue in Paris through Thursday
  • Next Article in Entertainment »
By Peter Mikelbank and Stephen M. Silverman
Decrease font Decrease font
Enlarge font Enlarge font
People

(People.com) -- After a private Mediterranean cruise with 12 pals that sailed from August 12 through 16 along the French Riviera, Leonardo DiCaprio got an early jump on Labor Day by going back to work Monday in Paris for his latest movie, "Inception," directed by "Dark Knight's" Christopher Nolan and which started shooting in London last month.

Leonardo DiCaprio, here at a "Body of Lies" event last fall, is filming his eagerly awaited new film in Paris.

Leonardo DiCaprio, here at a "Body of Lies" event last fall, is filming his eagerly awaited new film in Paris.

Trade reports have described "Inception" as a contemporary sci-fi action thriller set within "the architecture of the mind."

But for DiCaprio and his costars, "La Vie En Rose" Oscar winner Marion Cotillard and Juno Oscar nominee Ellen Page, the setting was one of the more recognizable bridges on the Seine.

The bridge itself -- the Pont de Bir-Hakeim -- is no stranger to the screen, having recently been seen in 2007's "National Treasure 2."

Steven Spielberg also used it and its above-ground Metro line and distinctive view of the Eiffel Tower in his 2005 "Munich," while Marlon Brando walked across it in the groundbreaking 1973 "Last Tango in Paris." Now it's DiCaprio's turn.

After 7 a.m. makeup and wardrobe call, the star was on the Bir-Hakeim by 8:15 and worked until 12:15, as did Page. Cotillard was into makeup and wardrobe at 7:30 and at the bridge by noon.

Monday's scene on the closed set utilized two giant mirrors, each the size of a storefront and slowly rotating and reflecting each other. The leading man -- dressed in a grey-green Armani jacket, black trousers and looking very tanned and blond -- stood between them, creating a funhouse-mirror effect of a thousand reflections before the mirrors pulled away to reveal him walking the bridge with Ellen Page amid a sea of extras.

An argument develops between them and Page turns violent, shoving him, knocking him down. What followed were shots of the extras, standing as still as statues, as though they were frozen in time.

Shooting will continue in Paris through Thursday.

Try 4 FREE PREVIEW Issues of PEOPLE, CLICK HERE NOW

Copyright © 2009 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

  • E-mail
  • Save
  • Print
Quick Job Search
keyword(s):
enter city:
Home  |  World  |  U.S.  |  Politics  |  Crime  |  Entertainment  |  Health  |  Tech  |  Travel  |  Living  |  Money  |  Sports  |  Time.com
© 2009 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.