More than 20 years ago, the Oscar-winning actor turned down one of the most coveted roles in Hollywood at the time, but once again, he was not wrong.
Throughout his 30-year career, Leonardo DiCaprio has left us so many roles to remember that it is hard to think that even more mythical characters could have passed through his hands. But DiCaprio, like the rest of his professional colleagues, has rejected all kinds of projects throughout his artistic career. and, between them, some that other performers would have killed for. In the figurative sense, of course.
In fact, the first big role that DiCaprio turned down was in the famous 1993 film return of the witches, when the Oscar-winning interpreter was practically taking his first steps. At that time, the actor had already become somewhat popular due to his time in the series. problems grow and he had his next two films ready, Who does Gilbert Grape love? and life of this boy, so it was clear to say no. A firm decision to which he owes his first Oscar nomination and an attitude that he was able to maintain at other times in his career.
Leonardo DiCaprio has admitted that he was offered more money than he ever dreamed of for return of the witchesbut the experience served to help him understand that he had to be very clear about his priorities. Barely two years later, he would again dare to reject a great role: Robin in Batman Forever (1995) by Joel Schumacher, with a role that ultimately went to Chris O’Donnell.
However, his most striking refusal -and more accurate, too- would take place at the end of the 90s, when he was offered to be part of the greatest film saga of all time: Who says no to Star Wars? Well, you can see that Leonardo DiCaprio, who had already become a star with titanicand was scouted to play Anakin Skywalker in the famous prequel saga which began in 1999 with the phantom menace and continued with Attack of the clones and revenge of the sith.
I met with George Lucas for that, yes. But I didn’t feel ready to go there. At that time
Leonardo DiCaprio himself explained it this way in an interview with short list in 2015, assuring that he came to meet George Lucas himself but that it was clear to him that at that time he was not ready to take on a role like that in the franchise. And not the truth is that he was not wrong: The films in the trilogy are far from being among the most beloved and the actor who played Anakin instead, Hayden Christensen, He was far from having a successful career after passing through the famous galactic saga.
For his part, Leonardo DiCaprio starred at that time in one of his least appreciated works, The beachbut throughout the years that the trilogy lasted, he also gave great performances in titles like Gangs of New York, Catch Me If You Can either The Aviator and He established himself as one of the best interpreters of his generation, a title that he has maintained to this day.
Likewise, DiCaprio also acknowledged having rejected the trilogy of spider-man which ultimately starred Tobey McGuire, though he’ll never rule out being in a superhero movie entirely: “You never know. You never know. They’re getting better and better in terms of the complexity of their characters. Not yet. But no, I’m not ruling out nothing”.
