Leonardo DiCaprio may be one of Hollywood’s most sought after actors now, but there was a time when the Oscar-winning The Revenant star had to prove himself before landing a role. Vanity Fair reports that when a young Leo first auditioned for Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the director didn’t even know who he was.
“When I saw Leonardo I thought, god, that’s how he should look but can he act?” he said during a recent appearance on iHeart Radio. “Then I found out he was the preeminent young actor.”
However, Luhrmann became convinced DiCaprio was right for the part when the actor flew to Australia to prove himself. “He came down to Australia and he brought all these friends and we made a whole video of the show with other actors,” Luhrmann said. “I won’t say who, it will never be seen, I realised that I couldn’t make it without him.”
- Essay: The Tyre Nichols Videos Demand Solemnity, Not Sensationalism
- For People With Disabilities, Losing Abortion Access Can Be a Matter of Life or Death
- Inside the Stealth Efforts to Smuggle Starlink Internet Into Iran
- Natasha Lyonne on Poker Face and Creating Characters Who Subvert Leading-Lady Tropes
- How to Help the Victims and Community After the Monterey Park Shooting
- Why Grocery Staples Are So Expensive Right Now
- Quantum Computers Could Solve Countless Problems—and Create a Lot of New Ones
- Where to Watch All of the 2023 Oscar Nominees
- How to Be Mindful if You Hate Meditating