--- title: Leonardo DiCaprio on Shark Attack, Times He Almost Died description: In a WIRED interview, Leonardo DiCaprio talks about the time he almost died and almost got attacked by a shark canonical: https://time.com/4148369/leonardo-dicaprio-wired-interview/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-14T22:33:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:52.196Z og:title: Leonardo DiCaprio Was Nearly Attacked by a Shark og:description: He also talked 'Titanic' and the 2016 election og:url: https://time.com/4148369/leonardo-dicaprio-wired-interview/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4188b9d08c30ace4/698875480b72e36aa96e7423/gettyimages-500207322.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3550 og:image:height: 1997 og:image:alt: Leonardo DiCaprio attends a BAFTA screening of 'The Revenant' og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Leonardo DiCaprio Was Nearly Attacked by a Shark twitter:description: He also talked 'Titanic' and the 2016 election twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4188b9d08c30ace4/698875480b72e36aa96e7423/gettyimages-500207322.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Leonardo DiCaprio Was Nearly Attacked by a Shark > Sponsored content. 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Waxman Staff Writer Dec 14, 2015 10:33 PM UTC  Leonardo DiCaprio attends a BAFTA screening of 'The Revenant' at Empire Leicester Square on December 6, 2015, in London. Leonardo DiCaprio attends a BAFTA screening of 'The Revenant' at Empire Leicester Square on December 6, 2015, in London. Dave J Hogan—Getty Images  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Dec 14, 2015 10:33 PM UTC In [a new interview with _WIRED_](http://www.wired.com/2015/12/leonardo-dicaprio-interview-revenant-climate-change)_,_ actor Leonardo DiCaprio discusses the challenges of shooting _Birdman_ director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s latest film _The Revenant,_ which is based on the real story of a frontiersman who was left for dead in the American wilderness after a bear attack. DiCaprio also talked about his own survival stories — such as near-death experiences in the great outdoors — and about why he’s so passionate about making sure the planet can survive the devastating effects of global warming. Here are seven highlights: • The movie was a pain to make at times, between the cameras malfunctioning in the snow and the snow melting when there was supposed to be snow in the scenes: “We had to shut down production multiple times.” • The hardest parts for him to shoot were the ones in which he had to get into frozen rivers wearing elk skin and a bear fur “that weighed about 100 pounds when it got wet.” • In terms of outdoorsy activities, he “loves” scuba diving. But once, during a diving trip in South Africa, he was almost attacked by a snapping shark when half a tuna fish got wedged in the cage: “The guys there said that has never happened in the 30 years they’d been doing it.” • He also said he almost died during a skydiving trip when the first parachute malfunctioned, forcing the crew to activate a backup chute. • And he was on the 2010 Moscow-bound Delta plane that blew an engine during takeoff at JFK airport: “…the entire wing exploded in a fireball. I was the only one looking out at the moment this giant turbine exploded like a comet.” • After filming the 1997 movie _Titanic,_ he says he became interested inclimate change and environmental issues: “I got exposed to the wonders of nature through film—Imax documentaries and such.” He visited Al Gore at the White House to learn how he could get involved in the cause . • In terms of favorites among the 2016 presidential candidates, he likes Senator Bernie Sanders the most because of the way he talks about environmental issues during the debates. _Revenant_ opens in theaters Christmas Day. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4148369/leonardo-dicaprio-wired-interview/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4148369/leonardo-dicaprio-wired-interview/"},"headline":"Leonardo DiCaprio Was Nearly Attacked by a Shark","datePublished":"2015-12-14T22:33:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:47:52.196Z","description":"He also talked Titanic and the 2016 election","url":"https://time.com/4148369/leonardo-dicaprio-wired-interview/","keywords":["Newsfeed","celebrities"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4188b9d08c30ace4/698875480b72e36aa96e7423/gettyimages-500207322.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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