Working for decades in the entertainment industry, Leonardo DiCaprio has brought his stagecraft firmly in his grasp. And therefore, the renowned star is often known for behaving wildly on the set of his films. But unfortunately, not all filmmakers handle his goofiness quite well.
According to Leonardo DiCaprio, he was once put in time out by the renowned filmmaker Michael Caton-Jones, while working on the biographical coming-of-age drama, This Boy’s Life. Performing alongside his best friend Tobey Maguire in the 1993 movie, DiCaprio caused the director to be fed up with his behavior.
Leonardo DiCaprio Almost Lost His Role in The 1993 Drama
Before Leonardo DiCaprio landed the iconic role in James Cameron’s Titanic in 1997, which turned into his breakout role, he appeared in several other coming-of-age movies. Among all the films that he did during his initial years, the actor recalled the 1993 drama This Boy’s Life. Appearing alongside his best friend Tobey Maguire, the actor had a fun experience on set.
However, during his 2016 interview with Deadline, the actor recalled nearly losing his role in an attempt to pull an unorthodox stunt to impress, during auditions. Almost jeopardizing his audition, DiCaprio eventually succeeded in impressing the veteran actor Robert de Niro.
“I remember there was this mustard jar sequence, and just thinking to myself, ‘S**t, I’ve got to do something…memorable. I went in, and they were doing the mustard jar sequence, and [De Niro]’s like, ‘Is it empty, is it empty?’ And I just stood up and threw my chair down, or something, and screamed at him, ‘No, it’s not empty.’”
Taking a deadly chance, Leonardo DiCaprio eventually succeeded in impressing the room full of stars and they all started laughing at his move. And so, although he felt like he almost blew his chance when everyone started laughing, DiCaprio later realized how he misjudged the situation as a teenager.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Behavior Frustrated His Film’s Director
Taking on the role, alongside his best friend Tobey Maguire, by going head-to-head with 400 other child actors, Leonardo DiCaprio set his career straight. But, although he landed the role, the actor wasn’t quite serious or dedicated to his stagecraft. Goofing around and acting like a wild animal on set, DiCaprio ended up frustrating the director.
During his 2014 interview with SAG-AFTRA Foundation, the actor claimed, “I didn’t know how to conduct myself on set, I was just sort of a wild animal,”. Finding everything quite new and exciting, DiCaprio failed to control his behavior and therefore ended up getting a time-out after fooling around with Tobey Maguire.
“He went up to Tobey, who was goofing off with me right before a dramatic scene, he goes, ‘Leave him alone,’. [Maguire is] like, ‘Why?’ He’s like, ‘An actor prepares,’ and he sent me off to the corner, goes, ‘You go focus on what the scene means.’ And I did.”
Goofing around with Tobey Maguire moments before a crucial scene, Leonardo DiCaprio got slapped with a timeout by award-winning director Michael Caton-Jones. But eventually, after the impactful intervention, the director apologized to DiCaprio for being stern.
Watch This Boy’s Life on Disney+.
