You’ve heard how hard it was make to make The Revenant? It was grueling. Because that’s what you do to win an Oscar. That golden statuette is DiCaprio’s Moby-Dick. He visits the homes of his Oscar-winning friends and gets “too drunk” to drive home, then he crashes on the couch and plays with their Oscars while they’re asleep. He role-plays acceptance speeches during sex. Leonardo DiCaprio nearly killed himself to make The Revenant, and if he doesn’t win in 2016, he just might finish the job, if only to win a posthumous one in 2017. So, is it any real surprise that Leonardo DiCaprio turned down roles in Star Wars and two big superhero films? In an interview with ShortList, DiCaprio revealed that he was approached to play Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels, a role that ultimately went to Hayden Christensen. DiCaprio says, “I did have a meeting with George Lucas about that,” but he “just didn’t feel ready to take that dive. At that point.”
DiCaprio also shares that he met with Joel Schumacher to play Robin in Batman Forever, and back when James Cameron was planning a Spider-Man film, he was considered for the role of Peter Parker. On the subject of whether or not he’d do a superhero film now, DiCaprio says, “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.” Translation: When actors start getting nominated for supporting roles in Teen Titans and West Coast Avengers, he’ll be the first person in line.
