Name Inspired by Art
Leonardo received his name thanks to an unusual twist of fate: when his mother was pregnant, she visited the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. While looking at a painting by Leonardo da Vinci, she felt the baby move in her womb for the first time. She took it as a sign and decided to name her son after the great artist.
The First Setback
When Leonardo was 5 years old, his mother took him to an audition for his favorite TV show, "Romper Room." He got the part, which was quite an achievement, as kids would wait in line for months to get into a new episode. However, the hyperactive boy couldn't sit still for a second. He jumped, ran around, hit the camera, and did flips. So after the first filming session, he was fired.First Commercial
At 14, young Leo appeared in a commercial for Matchbox toy cars. He almost got kicked off the set because he ignored the director's instructions and performed car tricks his way. Nevertheless, the commercial aired and marked his first appearance on television. Unfortunately, the video didn't survive online. The earliest commercial with DiCaprio available on YouTube is a Bubble Yum gum ad from the same year.Fateful Rejection
In the early 2000s, DiCaprio turned down the role of Peter Parker in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man," despite the large fee offered. Ultimately, the role went to Tobey Maguire—a close friend of the actor. In their youth, they acted together in the drama "This Boy's Life," and Leonardo himself recommended him to the director of "Spider-Man."At the same time, DiCaprio was negotiating with George Lucas, who wanted to cast him as Anakin Skywalker in the second episode of "Star Wars." However, Leonardo declined, feeling that such a film didn't fit his image. Eventually, Anakin was played by the relatively unknown young actor Hayden Christensen, and this role, despite worldwide success, became a turning point in his career: he became typecast in just one role.
First Oscar Nomination
Leonardo DiCaprio received his first Oscar nomination at age 19 for playing the mentally challenged boy Arnie in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" (1993). Before winning the coveted statue, he was nominated for the major American film award three more times: for "The Aviator" in 2005, "Blood Diamond" in 2007, and "The Wolf of Wall Street" in 2014.Destructive Perfectionism
During the filming of the sinking scene in "Titanic," DiCaprio and Kate Winslet spent several weeks in a pool with cold water, adamantly refusing to use body doubles. As a result, both actors came down with pneumonia.Record-breaking Fee
For his role in the film "Inception" (2010), DiCaprio received not only his base fee of $20 million but also a percentage of the box office earnings (this was his main condition for Christopher Nolan), which ultimately brought him around $50 million, making this film the most profitable in his career at that time.Oscar for Survival
For his role in the movie "The Revenant" (2015), DiCaprio actually ate raw bison meat, slept inside a real horse carcass, and filmed in -25°C temperatures. This role finally earned him the long-awaited Oscar.True Blood
In the movie "Django Unchained" (2012), there is a scene where DiCaprio's character, the ruthless plantation owner Candie, shatters a glass with his hand in a fit of rage. Leonardo cut his hand with the broken glass and, as if nothing happened, finished the scene.Tarantino kept this take in the final version of the film and, as zoomboola.com notes, has considered DiCaprio one of his favorite actors ever since. Soon after, the actor played a very personal role in his film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," for which he was once again nominated for an Oscar.
Read more about Leonardo DiCaprio's childhood, early works, and personal life in his biography.
