DiCaprio loved 'The Great Gatsby' novel

Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio says it was quite intimidating working in "The Great Gatsby", based on such a well loved novel by author F. Scott Fitzgerald.

DiCaprio is playing Jay Gatsby in Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of author F. Scott Fitzgerald's book

"The Great Gatsby".

The movie sees DiCaprio reunite with Luhrmann for the first time after "Romeo + Juliet" but the actor says that it was a tricky project.

"It's one of the most beloved novels of all time," femalefirst.co.uk quoted DiCaprio as saying.

"It is a great piece of American literature and everyone has their own personal connection with these characters and these people and they have their own interpretation of Gatsby," he said.

"It's intimidating going into a process where you're going to make a film adaptation of something that is this intricate complex and beloved worldwide because you're almost setting yourself up for disaster," he added.

"The Great Gatsby" is slated to release May 16.