Leonardo DiCaprio talking about his character Danny Archer in "Blood Diamond" (2006):
“First off on the script, it was such a powerful character. It was such a powerful storyline and that’s what you look for first. I wasn’t personally going out seeking films with a social and political message, just to do it for the sake of doing it. It has to have an entertainment value. To me, it was very representative of a huge issue in the world today of corporate responsibility and what these corporations do, and certainly Africa has been a prime target for it - all the way to gold and rubber and all kinds of other natural resources. And here was this character that was exploiting others that were less fortunate than him, dealing in the black market and not really being conscious of the world he lives in. I just felt it was a really powerful". Source: movies.about.com
"Speaking about his character, Hirsch said, “Speed is a very serious, passionate guy.” He admires that the character is “not willing to sell out to the big corporate conglomerate.” Then Hirsch joked that in taking the role he was “so excited to sell out to a big corporate conglomerate.”Hirsch was a fan of the “Speed Racer” series growing up. “I used to watch it in the morning with my cereal, and I would pour soda into the cereal.” He described the show as “one of those crazy shows you’d watch on a sugar rush. The colors and the action and the sense of adventure” brought that immediate appeal. Looking back on the show now, he said it has a “retro cool.” Source: www.comicbookresources.com