Our next character is the one and only Jay Gatsby/James Gatz. Our main character of The Great Gatsby. The two names are of course because his real name is James Gatz but he changes it to Jay Gatsby. In the book he is described as tan skin, short hair, deeply flawed, dishonest and vulgar. And we expect Gatsby to be a handsome man as well. In the 1974 film Jay Gatsby was played by Robert Redford. I would say Redford played the role of Gatsby well and also fits the description quite well. He is handsome and has the short hair and tan skin. The 2013 film Jay Gatsby was played by Leonardo DiCaprio. He is what I call “the people’s Gatsby.” This is because nowadays when we think of The Great Gatsby, most people think of DiCaprio when he played the role. DiCaprio played the role very well and his looks definitely played a part and helped him as well. When people think of The Great Gatsby most people think of the champagne glass scene where DiCaprio is lifting his glass and we are introduced to him. The actors who have played Gatsby all have a similar look to each other as well which hasn’t been the case for many other characters. As you can see in the pictures Redford and DiCaprio have a few similarities in looks. I feel like in a way, Gatsby’s character could be unlikable to some readers or watchers because he is holding on to the Daisy he met in the past and expects her to drop everything and be with him. But he was also getting mixed signals from Daisy so that could be part of the reason why he was trying so hard. I personally liked Gatsby’s character because although he was involved in some sketchy activities, for some reason I felt that he had good intentions. But the fact that only Nick and Gatsby’s father were the only ones that attended his funeral, it makes me think he either had a lot of fake friends or possibly his intentions weren’t that good.
