Leonardo DiCaprio‘s Oscar-winning career has spanned over three decades and shows no sign of stopping. During his star-studded career as an actor, DiCaprio has enjoyed great success throughout his run. For every memorable role the actor has starred in, there is one where he did not, whether he turned it down or missed out on the part. Let’s examine ten roles DiCaprio turned down or didn’t get.
10The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
The Talented Mr. Ripley was a defining role for Matt Damon early on in his career, but it was a role that almost went to Titanic star, Leonardo DiCaprio. It was only after he declined the role of Tom Ripley, that it went to Damon. The movie would go on to be nominated for five Academy Awards and receive critical acclaim. DiCaprio would not have a release in 1999.
9. Sin City (2005)
One of the best modern noir films in recent memory, Sin City, is an adaptation of the Frank Miller graphic novel of the same name. Broken down into six chapters, the second of which features a yellow skinned 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 murderer by the name of Ethan Roark Jr. and played by Nick Stahl. A role that was almost filled by Leonardo DiCaprio as the truly vile Roark Jr. DiCaprio would decline this role and Stahl would ultimately play the character. 2005 would not see a Leonardo DiCaprio film be released.
8. Boogie Nights (1997)
Boogie Nights is not only one of director Paul Thomas Anderson’s best films, but a defining work for the filmmaker’s career. Centered around high school dropout turned adult movie star, Eddie Adams, played by Mark Wahlberg. Anderson originally wanted Leonardo DiCaprio to star in the leading role, but the actor had to decline the offer as he had already signed on to a little film known as, Titanic.
7.Batman Forever (1995)
After taking over the franchise from iconic director Tim Burton, and the first of two movies from Joel Schumacher, Batman Forever introduced Batman’s sidekick Robin to the big screen since Burt Ward. It was Leonardo DiCaprio who was considered for the role of Robin but declined the part following a meeting with the director. For DiCaprio, this was probably a wise decision, as while Batman Forever is not as universally panned as its sequel, the movie would go on to receive mostly negative reviews. 1995 would see DiCaprio star in The Basketball Diaries, a defining movie early on in his career.
6. Hocus Pocus (1993)
Hocus Pocus has grown into an almost cult classic with millennials and has become for many a must-watch during the Halloween season. This brilliant, kid friendly take on horror holds a nostalgic place in the hearts of many. It was also almost one of the earliest roles for future mega star Leonardo DiCaprio, as he was considered for the lead role of Max. This part was turned down by DiCaprio to star in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape alongside Johnny Depp.
5.American Psycho (2000)
The casting of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho is a story all on its own, as the man who would ultimately go on to star in the role was Christian Bale, an actor at the time that Lions Gate was not interested in casting. The studio instead pushed for a more famous star, Leonardo DiCaprio to be precise, as coming off of his role in Titanic was one of the biggest names in Hollywood. Lionsgate would go as far as officially casting DiCaprio in the role, against the wishes of writer and director Mary Harron, who had her mind set on Bale. Harron was fired from the project and a search for a new director began. Ultimately, a new director could not be locked down and the departure of DiCaprio paved the way for Harron to return, cast Bale, and make one of the best films of the early 2000s.
4.Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Christoph Waltz’s performance as the evil and vile Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds, is one of the best villain roles of all time, and it is hard to imagine anyone else playing that Oscar-winning role. For a moment, Leonardo DiCaprio was considered by Quentin Tarantino, but a native German-speaking actor was ultimately preferred by the director and the rest is cinema history. DiCaprio would go on to eventually star as Calvin Candie in Tarantino’s Django Unchained.
3. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
Despite the divisiveness of the movies themselves, the Star Wars prequels were some of the biggest and most anticipated films in movie history. Following the box office success of The Phantom Menace, it came time to cast a young adult actor for Episode II: Attack of the Clones, the next iteration of the biggest bad in the galaxy, Darth Vader. One big-name actor who met with creator George Lucas for the role was Leonardo DiCaprio. The then 28-year-old actor made the decision to pass on the role, citing his wariness to “take the dive” into something as big as Star Wars. DiCaprio would instead star in Martin Scorsese’s hit film, Gangs of New York, also released in 2002.
2.The Matrix (1999)
One of the most groundbreaking films of the modern era is hands down The Wachowskis’ The Matrix. It helped to revolutionize the way digital effects were used in movies. There were also a number of big name actors to pass on the lead role of Neo, a career defining performance eventually given by Keanu Reeves. Along with names like Will Smith and Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio also turned down the role, as he had no real desire to take on another effects driven movie after starring in Titanic.
1.Spider-Man (2002)
The first big-budget, live-action adaptation of Spider-Man went through quite a tumultuous development before audiences got Sam Raimi’s final product starring Tobey Maguire. This included an iteration written by James Cameron, who had his eye on Leonardo DiCaprio to play the web-slinger. It was DiCaprio who eventually recommended his longtime friend, Tobey Maguire to star in the film once the project was in serious development.
Soucre: movieweb.com
