Leonardo DiCaprio is considered to be one of the most versatile, forward-thinking, and picky actors in Hollywood. Yes, thanks to his vision and selectivity when it comes to his roles, Leo managed to make a brand out of his name that guarantees quality — if Leo is in a film, then it’s simply bound to succeed. But what really sets this actor apart from the hundreds of other celebrities, is his kind heart. DiCaprio cares about the environment, rescues tigers, and helps people. Well, in terms of good deeds, only Keanu Reeves can compete with him.
We at Bright Side sincerely admire everything that the actor does, and we decided to please our readers with a compilation of inspiring, cute, and slightly funny facts about the favorite actor of many movie fans. And at the end of the article, we included stories from internet users who were lucky enough to personally meet the idol of millions of people.
As a child, Leo couldn’t decide between 2 fields — marine biology and acting. But the advertisement in which his half-brother participated and earned $50,000 helped the future actor finally decide on this occupation. DiCaprio was so amazed by the fee that he firmly decided for himself, “I will be an actor!”
At the beginning of his career, within 1.5 years, Leo managed to fail at 100 auditions. But he didn’t fall into despair, as he clearly realized that at that time acting was the easiest way to make money and lift his family out of poverty.
In 1990, Leo appeared on the iconic show Santa Barbara. The 16-year-old actor was entrusted with the role of young Mason Capwell, for which he was nominated for a Youth in Film Award in the category of Best Young Actor in a Daytime Series.
At the beginning of his career, one of his agents suggested that Leo change his name and take a nickname that would be more understandable for an American audience. If he had agreed to this the name Lenny Williams would’ve appeared in his movies’ credits.
One of DiCaprio’s first films, This Boy’s Life, brought him real fame and recognition. It’s interesting that among the candidates for the main role in this film, there was a close friend of DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire. After being picked over his friend at the audition, Leo persuaded the producers to take him into the project as well. So Maguire got the role of Chuck Bolger.
DiCaprio almost became a breakdancer. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the actor admitted that, as a teenager, he was seriously considering dedicating himself to dancing and he even won a competition held in the small German town where he was visiting his grandmother. Leo performed under the funny pseudonym Noodles.
Leo has a charity foundation to help orphans and even “adopted” a girl himself. While working on the film Blood Diamond, he visited the SOS Children’s Village in Mozambique and became so attached to one of the girls that he took her under his care. Since then, DiCaprio has been constantly in touch with the girl and he sends her money monthly for accommodations and food.
Leo loves auctions. In 2007, a serious fight broke out between him and Nicholas Cage for the oldest Mongolian Tyrannosaurus bataar skull. But luck wasn’t on Leo’s side. Cage outbid his proposed price and got the trophy for $276,000.
4 years ago, at a charity auction in Cannes, DiCaprio stole a rare Chanel bag from under the nose of socialite Paris Hilton for the impressive price of $18,000 and presented it to his mother. So the actor not only donated money to charity, but he also did something nice for his mother.
Leo is so passionate about environmental issues that he even dedicated his Oscar speech to this problem. Thanking everyone, DiCaprio spoke about the consequences of global climate change and urged those watching to “not to take our planet for granted.”
Leo loves his mother very much, she is his best friend and his main companion at all events. At every opportunity, the actor thanks Irmelin (that’s his mom’s name!). The 2016 BAFTA ceremony was no exception. Addressing his mother sitting in the audience, DiCaprio said, “I would not be standing up here if it weren’t for this person. I didn’t grow up in a life of privilege. And this woman drove me 3 hours a day to different schools to expose me to different opportunities. It’s her birthday tonight. Mom, happy birthday! I love you very much.”
Bonus: Stories from internet users who met Leo in real life
In 2002, I worked for a production company and was invited to a Christmas party. A DJ was playing in the grand foyer. And we danced with around 20 other people. When “Billie Jean” started playing, everyone formed a ring and started clapping their hands. At some point, DiCaprio bumped into me, and then grabbed my hand and led me into a circle. We had a lot of fun dancing for a couple of minutes until I saw a colleague leaving the party and I left the circle. Noticing this, Leo gave me a little salute. It was the most charming moment I’ve had with someone who accidentally bumped into me. © Alexandra Leh / Quora
We went to the coolest club in the city, where, as it turned out, DiCaprio himself was hanging out. Having lied to the bouncers saying that we were with him, me and my friend, who was just as big a fan as I was, made our way to his lounge. Having noticed us, Leo held out his hand and greeted us. I replied somehow. And here we were, standing and smiling at each other. And suddenly my friend said, “I love you!” These 3 words marked the end of our evening and became a wake-up call for the guards that crazy fans had appeared in the establishment. We were immediately escorted out. But we got back in. Seeing us again, Leo smiled. He was apparently surprised by how we had managed to do it. In the end, we danced with him for about 15 minutes and still managed to take a precious photo before we were kicked out again. But we didn’t care. We got the best Christmas present ever. © Anonymous / Quora
Do you follow DiCaprio’s work? What is your favorite film of his?
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