Carey Mulligan Talks Kissing Leonardo DiCaprio, Channeling Kardashians for Great Gatsby—Watch Now!

Actress says character of Daisy Buchanan "feels her purpose is to look very beautiful all the time and to constantly be on show"

By Rebecca Macatee May 01, 2013 5:31 PMTags

If Carey Mulligan hadn't shown some chutzpah during her audition for The Great Gatsby, she might not have landed the role of Daisy Buchanan!  

Wednesday on Good Morning America, the 27-year-old British actress revealed that it was kissing Leonardo DiCaprio that helped get her cast in the flick.

"I think that's a story that's been elaborated by Baz [Luhrmann, the movie's director]," she said with a laugh. "But, it said in the script that Daisy kisses Gatsby and in auditons, you don't know if it's kind of inappropriate. So I asked Baz, should I kiss him [Leonardo]?' And Baz said, 'Yes,' so I did! And now Baz tells that as the story that landed me the role."

NEWS: We're livestreaming The Great Gatsby premiere red carpet—watch Wednesday on E! Online

Once Carey did get the part, she studied the book itself and looked to the real life of author F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife, Zelda Fitzgerald, for inspiration. She also looked to a favorite E! family's' lives for some guidance.

"The Kardashians are sort of a reference in that Daisy's purpose in life is—she feels her purpose is to look very beautiful all the time and to constantly be on show," she said. "So what I was trying to imply was that there's an essence of part of the amazing business they run as the Kardashians is looking beautiful a lot and looking very present, presentational and perfect."

Wise words, Ms. Buchanan Mulligan! The Great Gatsby opens nationwide on May 1.