Leo Talks J. Edgar's Sexuality

By DAVID WEINER

November 09, 2011

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Leonardo DiCaprio takes on the legendary FBI figure J. Edgar Hoover in Clint Eastwood's ambitious new drama J. Edgar, in theaters Friday, and the Oscar nominee weighs in on Hoover's secret sex life.

"As far as the sexuality is concerned, I don't know; I don't think there's anyone that truly knows the truth," Leo tells The Insider's Brooke Anderson about Hoover's ambiguous relationship leanings and infamous penchant for wearing women's dresses. "I was very proud of the way that the writer handled it and how Clint handled it because I think it was done in a very classy way.

"It showed two men [Hoover and his closest colleague Clyde Tolson, played by Armie Hammer] that committed their life to the service of our country and put their personal life on hold," he continues. "But you can't deny the love that they had for one another. … Beyond it, being a sexual relationship, that's almost their business. Whether that was ever consummated, who knows, but they had a great affection for one another."

In theaters everywhere Friday, J. Edgar chronicles the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's rise as the most powerful man in America for close to 50 years, often bending the rules to keep his countrymen safe through the administrations of eight presidents. A man who put great value on secrets, Hoover had some incredibly startling secrets of his own, from his mother to his lover.


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