Leonardo DiCaprio has had an extremely interesting/successful career. Starring in fantastic films like: What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Inception, Titanic, Django Unchained, The Wolf of Wall Street, Shutter Island, The Departed, and the list goes on and on. Even with that impressive resume, the 40-year-old actor still has not received an Oscar.
But what if he had starred in one of the movies down below? Did he pass up an Oscar-worthy performance? Check out the list to see for yourself.
No. 10 – Angels & Demons (2009)
The Role: Camerlengo Patrick McKenna
Actor Who Got The Role: Ewan McGregor
Interesting Note: Leonardo declined the role even though Tom Hanks personally offered it to him.
No. 9 – Jobs (2013)
The Role: Steve Jobs
Actor Who Got The Role: Ashton Kutcher
Interesting Note: The film sucked.
No. 8 – Boogie Nights (1997)
The Role: Dirk Diggler
Actor Who Got The Role: Mark Wahlberg
Interesting Note: Leonardo DiCaprio claims turning down the role is one of his biggest regrets, saying, “I’m a huge fan of (director) Paul Thomas Anderson but the first time I met him for that role I hadn’t really seen much of his previous work. Now I love that movie.”
No. 7 – Interview with the Vampire (1994)
The Role: Daniel Malloy
Actor Who Got The Role: Christian Slater
Interesting Note: River Phoenix was supposed to star in the film; however, he passed away before filming. Leonardo was offered the role, but decided to decline. Phoenix was also set to star in ‘Total Eclipse‘. Oddly enough, Leo did decide to take on that role.
No. 6 – Inglourious Basterds (2009)
The Role: Col. Hans Landa
Actor Who Got The Role: Christoph Waltz
Interesting Note: Tarantino originally wanted Mr. DiCaprio to play the part, but then decided he wanted the character to be played by an older actor. Adam Sandler was also asked to be in the film, but he declined to give all his attention to his film, Funny People.
No. 5 – Spider-Man (2002)
The Role: Spider-Man/Peter Parker
Actor Who Got The Role: Tobey Maguire
Interesting Note: The production company wanted him, but Leo just didn’t feel like he was ready to put on the suit. It all worked out, though. Tobey and Leo have been best friends for over 20 years, so we’re sure the Oscar-less actor was happy for his friend.
No. 4 – Batman Forever (1995)
The Role: Robin/Dick Grayson
Actor Who Got The Role: Chris O’Donnell
Interesting Note: Many sites claim Leonardo actually screen tested for the role, but that’s not true. During an interview with ShortList, Leo admitted to having one meeting with the director, Joel Schumacher, but he declined the offer after the meeting. It was definitely a smart move.
No. 3 – American Psycho (2000)
The Role: Patrick Bateman
Actor Who Got The Role: Christian Bale
Interesting Note: There was a lot of drama behind this film. Bale originally had the part, but then Leonardo (fresh off that Titanic high) came in and announced his interest. And since he had a huge following, Lions Gate dumped Bale for DiCaprio. The actor later dropped out of the role after several people announced their displeasure with his casting, claiming his fan base mostly consisted of teenage girls.
No. 2 – Cold Mountain (2003)
The Role: Inman
Actor Who Got The Role: Jude Law
Interesting Note: Mr. Law actually received an Oscar nomination for best actor for his role in the movie. Can you imagine if he had won? That would have been a huge slap to Leo’s face.
No. 1 – The Matrix (1999)
The Role: Neo
Actor Who Got The Role: Keanu Reeves
Interesting Note: Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, and Leonardo DiCaprio were all considered for the role before filmmakers decided Keanu Reeves was their man.
Interesting Note x2: Keanu Reeves is a vampire…
