Chapter by Chapter Countdown to Gatsby ... Chapter Six

Callan McAuliffe plays the young James Gatz
before he became  The Great Gatsby.

"To the young Gatz, resting on his oars and looking up at the railed deck, the yacht represented all the beauty and glamour in the world. I suppose he smiled at Cody-he had probably discovered that people liked him when he smiled. At any rate Cody asked him a few questions (one of them elicited the brand new name) and found that he was quick and extravagantly ambitious. A few days later he took him to Duluth and bought him a blue coat, six pair of white duck trousers, and a yachting cap. And when the Tuolomee left for the West Indies and the Barbary Coast Gatsby left too."

Chapter 6, page 2


In case you haven't heard hahahahahahahahahahahaha - The Great Gatsby comes out May 10th.  I've been posting this chapter by chapter countdown because I'm just as jazzed as I can be. I really am. While early reviews are starting to pour in and they're mixed - no surprise on that score - but I'm maintaining an open mind and heart; I go in prepared and wanting to like, nay LOVE, the movie.

In this chapter, Nick relates some of Gatsby's backstory - which Gatsby has presumably told him - and this passage, I think begins to give us as clear a picture of Gatsby as we ever get.  

In this still from the film we see the young Gatsby, aka James Gatz, onboard what is mostly likely Dan Cody's yacht. The young Australian actor - lots of local Aussie talent in the film - who plays the young Gatsby is Callan McAuliffe, Sam in I Am Number Four. He's said he doesn't see the resemblance between himself and Leo. I'm inclined to agree but since he's also said it's a small part, I'm thinking that means maybe a few quick cuts and if that's the case he fits well enough. I'm not familiar with him at all; perhaps this is meatier than a series of quick cuts and he kills it. We'll see. 

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