Actor Christian Bale, who has received praise for his work, has admitted that a number of the roles he is best known for playing were actually turned down by Leonardo DiCaprio.
Bale was questioned about the rumors that he lost at least five roles to DiCaprio in the 1990s during a GQ interview. “Oh, man. Not just me, either. Look, to this day, if somebody gets a job, it’s only because he [DiCaprio] declined it first,” he retorted. No matter what anyone says, ignore it. How polite you are with the directors is irrelevant. Everyone I’ve collaborated with more than once gave him the first option for each of those responsibilities. Right? One of those people actually said that to me. So, thank you, Leo, as he has complete control over all he does. And kudos to him; he’s incredible. As a result, Bale appears to acknowledge that he owes DiCaprio some credit for his success.
American Psycho: Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rejection
The journalist mentions Titanic as a movie for which Bale was considered. Of course, DiCaprio ended up playing the legendary part of Jack Dawson, and the James Cameron film went on to become the highest-grossing movie of all time when it was released. The role of deranged serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, which is frequently cited as the film that catapulted Bale to a new level of popularity, was won by Bale over DiCaprio three years later. The director of American Psycho, Mary Harron, reportedly refused to meet with Leonardo DiCaprio because she was concerned the actor would persuade her to change her decision despite the studio’s desire for him to play the lead.
Despite their friendly rivalry, DiCaprio and Bale have both enjoyed enormous success in the entertainment industry. Bale has three movies coming out this year alone: Amsterdam, The Pale Blue Eye, and Thor: Love and Thunder. The actor, who is no stranger to blockbuster superhero films, gave Gorr the God Butcher in the most recent Thor movie his all. Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor, reportedly felt that Bale frequently went too far for a family-friendly movie. Hemsworth had reportedly said to Bale, “That’s a touch too far, dude. If it’s not an R-rated movie, I don’t think anyone will want to see that.” He continued, “But it was a real pleasure to try it. Even though some of those sequences and perspectives on particular scene selections didn’t make the final edit, we had a lot of fun filming them.”
DiCaprio, however, doesn’t seem to be attending any superhero flicks. Timothée Chalamet, a rising star in Hollywood as Bale and DiCaprio once were, recently shared the advice DiCaprio advised him on how to be successful in the business: “No hard drugs and no superhero movies.” For Leonardo DiCaprio’s next project, Killers of the Flower Moon, which is presently scheduled for a May 2023 release, the great filmmaker will once again be his collaborator.
Bale will next be seen in the October 7 film Amsterdam.
Source: GQ