Emmanuel Itier: I’m so glad, Leo, to see that your turned out be such a good actor. Finally, for the last four or five movies…

Leonardo DiCaprio: Ha, ha, ha!

EI: Just teasing. You’re fucking great, man, and I loved this picture. It actually was hard to watch because it’s so tough. Especially with the portrait of the children soldiers. I have an 18-month-old boy, and I could only imagine the pain it would cause me to have my kid stolen from me and be put through that hell…

LDC: This is, indeed, quite horrific, and I’m glad you got our film. We really wanted to expose the truth about what’s going on over there. It’s so cruel…I’m glad you got the essential heart of our film.

EI: And to also show that at the root of evil in the world is greed–it’s money and how it’s badly managed by all the monsters, these politicians around the world…

LDC: I know, I agree.

EI: Actually, I think the main issue is that we don’t have, anymore, a single true leader in the world. Also, the private money is well-used by all of us through charities and other means, but the public money–the money collected by taxes–is terribly misused. It’s intolerable, the way our governments use our money.

LDC: Fortunately, I’m glad to see we have made some progress in our country, here in America, with the win of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Little by little, hopefully we will get there.

EI: How does one get into a film so politically loaded? With fear, with an agenda…?

LDC: Well, it was a mix of both; it’s a great way to put it. But also, for me it has to be a great story and it has to have great characters. You have to be affected by the film. The cherry on top of it is indeed that it says something about the world we live in. It does have a political message on top of it all. It was exciting to do a movie like this, and especially on a subject I was ignorant to, and I think a lot of people are ignorant to. It is about blood diamonds, but I immediately saw that for a symbol with a much bigger issue, and it has to do with corporate responsibility–how these corporations have the freedom to do what they want in these war zones. It is ironic that places like Sierra Leone, that should benefit from their diamond resources, has had so much bloodshed. It ultimately says something as consumers having to be aware every time we buy a product. We are, in a way, voting or advocating for these companies and how they conduct their business. So this is a very symbolic movie about many larger issues in the world. and I learned a lot from doing this movie, and I hope people will learn a lot by watching this film.

Ed Zwick: I think what I was determined to do was to tell the truth, and I think if you do your homework and see what happened, the rest follows, because that informs the performances and the story. Better not to have an agenda but rather let the agenda emerge from the facts.

Djimon Hounsou: For me, it’s crucial to be part of a movie that opens the eyes of people. I’m a native of Africa, I grew up in France and now live here in the US. I heard about this story of Sierra Leone and the blood shed over there after I did “Amistad”, and so yes, it’s a wonderful and powerful story about Africa and I’m proud to be part of it. It touches so many issues, like the child soldiers and the corruption throughout the continent of Africa.

EI: Do you think that this film can educate, or at least open the eyes of people?

LDC: I think it has already opened the eyes of people. That’s the cool thing about this movie–it’s art having an impact. The issue raised by this film is a complex one, because in one hand, the diamond industry is a huge economic resource for Africa, and organizations like Amnesty International are trying to eliminate these specific diamonds that have funded these warlords who are taking over. It’s a complicated issue. I think since then, since the Sierra Leone events, the diamond industry has re-examined itself and stopped a lot of what has been happening, and so it’s a great feeling to be part of a film that can change things.

EI: What was, for you, Ed, the biggest challenge?

EZ: Well, every movie is difficult to make. For me, probably the biggest challenge was to work with children and making sure that we handled them with responsibility without getting the feeling of exploiting them. I think, as a father, going to a place like that, knowing how children are used in these places, was hard and challenging for me. With my actors, Leo and Djimon, it was easy because they were so committed and they are so talented. The production was big, there were explosion scenes with plenty of actors…it was challenging to keep the pace and everything in order.

DH: One of the challenges for me was the accent, to get it right, because I’m not from Sierra Leone. Also, it was tough shooting in Africa and sometimes in areas where there was so much poverty and misery. In Mozambica, the civil war had just ended and it was really shocking.

EI: Today in the world there are more than 400,000 children used in sex trade or blood diamond trade–guerrillas of all sorts. How do we solve the problem? How do we put a term to this cruelty, this crime against humanity?

EZ: In English we use the word “infantry”, and this comes from the word “infant” (enfant). This is a problem that has always existed all around the world–the exploitation of young children in conflicts. I think there are, fortunately, all sorts of prosecutions going on and charities getting involved in these countries where the problems remain. Hopefully, little by little, this horrific situation is fixed.

DH: We are all responsible around the world. It’s a worldwide issue. We are citizens of this planet, and it’s important we acknowledge the problems caused by all these powerful companies in Africa using children or causing children to be used in armed conflicts.

EI: How did this movie change you, Ed?

EZ: Well, lately I have been making movies all around the world and further away from my home, and as the world becomes a smaller place and as we, in America, finally begin to realize that our destiny is intertwined with the rest of the world, I believe that Africa will be there for the rest of my life.

EI: Tell me about the impact the film had in Africa. I understand there is now a permanent fund put in place to help the local population?

DH: Yes indeed, we tried to get involved. It was important not only to tell the story with as much clarity and truth as possible, but also to leave them with some monetary help. Warner Bros. helped us to give back to these populations as well, and they matched the funds we raised.

EI: The movie is ultimately about what is “valuable” and what is “futile”. So what is valuable for you, and what is futile?

LDC: Well, I’m living such a blessed life and I’m getting to do what I want to do professionally, so I’m happy. I have a great family and great friends, but my big goal one day is to give back in a major way. All these stuffs are very exciting and rewarding, but it’s also superficial. Go to a place like Africa and you see how people live, and all around the world–all of this makes you want to give back!

EI: Politics maybe, next?

LDC: No…oh, no!

EI: Don’t look scared! And you Ed, Djimon…?

EZ: The most valuable thing for me is the attempt to appreciate the passing of time–to try to be in any moment and be present. The most futile is to plan and to invest in some future that will happen in a way that you didn’t imagine anyway.

DH: Human lives are extremely valuable to me! What is futile is this overwhelming greed–all these companies have to take responsibility for what they do in and to Africa!

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