In the latest Leonardo DiCarpio news, "The Reverent" actor finally addressed the reason behind turning down several iconic movie characters in the past. DiCarpio's official IMDb page provided the film credits and other details on the films he starred in.
"Star Wars"
In an interview with The Short List, DiCarpio shared that he was in negotiations to play as Anakin Skywalker in the "Star Wars" film franchise. He relayed that there was a meeting with creator George Lucas, but the casting did not push through despite Lucas' interest on him playing the said character. The role was then given to actor Hayden Christensen, who was seen in "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones" (2002), "Return of the Jedi" (2004) and "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" (2005).
In between those years, DiCarpio starred in "Gangs of New York" and "Catch Me If You Can" in 2002. He also played the role of Howard Hughes in "The Aviator" in 2004 where he received his Oscar nomination for his portrayal.
"Batman Forever"
DiCarpio debunked the ongoing myth that he auditioned for the role of Robin in the Val Kilmer-starrer superhero film. He said that he never "screen-tested" for it but he did have a meeting with the film's director Joel Schumacher. Similar to the fate of his supposed "Star Wars" casting, he didn't take the role.
"Er, I don’t think I did, no (laughs). As I recall I took the meeting, but didn’t want to play the role. Joel Schumacher is a very talented director but I don’t think I was ready for anything like that," Di Carpio said.
"NCIS: Los Angeles" star Chris O'Donell took on the role for two "Batman" films including "Batman Forever" (1995) and "Batman & Robin" (1997).
In the 1990s, rising star DiCarpio made his mark in the film industry after starting as a teen actor in "This Boy's Life" and "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" in 1993. He, later on, starred in "The Basketball Diaries," "Romeo + Juliet" and "Titanic," which helped transcend him to more mature roles.
"Spider-Man"
The 41-year-old actor was also reported as one of the actors who was supposed to take on the role of the friendly neighborhood superhero. He said that during that time, he felt that he wasn't "ready to put on that suit yet." His close friend, Tobey Maguire ((2002–2007), got the role in three Sam Raimi-directed films before the franchise made reboot films with a much younger Andrew Garfield (2012-2014).
DiCarpio, on the other hand, never ruled out from playing superhero characters in the future which has become a strong trend among notable actors today.
"You never know. You never know. They’re getting better and better as far as complex characters in these movies. I haven’t yet. But no, I don’t rule out anything."
Despite not getting the "Spider-Man" role, DiCarpio's career continued to flourish with an array of roles he played in movies. His latest film credits in the last 10 years include "Shutter Island," "Inception," "Django Unchained," "The Great Gatsby," "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "The Revenant."
