Titanic has to be one of the most important things in the career of Leonardo DiCaprio. The 1997 Romantic Tragedy established DiCaprio as one of the greatest International stars. His portrayal of Jack Dawson alongside Kate Winslet’s Rose DeWitt Bukater is etched in every cinephile’s mind. But it is very shocking to know that the actor almost made up his mind to leave his acting career following the Titanic’s success.
Movies like Romeo+Juliet and Titanic established the 48-year-old American actor as more of a romantic boy in the industry. While many fans were head over heels for Leonardo DiCaprio due to his charming and amazingly attractive look, the actor himself was not quite happy about this. This almost led DiCaprio to leave Hollywood forever.
How did the Titanic’s fame upset Leonardo DiCaprio?
The 1997 James Cameron directorial is considered one of the greatest movies of all time. Titanic makes sure to top every list, be it the list of the greatest romance dramas or the list of the greatest tragedies of all time. The love story of Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater set on the backdrop of one of the deadliest shipwrecks of all time bagged 11 Academy Awards as well as a whopping box-office collection of more than $2 billion.
According to Leonardo DiCaprio, the James Cameron movie’s success despite catapulting him to worldwide fame also negatively impacted his career. He stated during an interview that the roaring success of Titanic put him in front of enormous media attention. But the main problem rose when he was labeled as the “pretty boy”.
“At first I hated the way I was turned into a pretty boy, as if that was all that was expected of me. It made me almost want to stop acting for a while because the attention that was focused on me was not where I wanted to take my career.”
DiCaprio further added during the interview with The Fan Carpet that he no longer wanted to be associated with the romance genre. He believed that his on-screen romance with Kate Winslet ruined his identity.
“I didn’t want to do romantic films or anything which just exploited my image or appearance.”
His lack of interest in romance projects was also evident when he proceeded to act in films like Gangs of New York, Catch Me If You Can, The Departed, and Blood Diamond. But it is also to be noted that the actor never forgot to acknowledge the importance of Titanic in his career. Leonardo DiCaprio has also openly stated that irrespective of his reactions, he will always be proud of the movie.
What’s in the future for Leonardo DiCaprio?
The Wolf of Wall Street fame was last spotted in the Netflix film Don’t Look Up. The apocalyptic satire movie created a mixed reception among everyone. While the performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, and others were praised, the satirical nature of the plot divided the critics as well as the audiences. But despite all these, the movie became the second most-watched movie on Netflix.
Now the fans are excited about the upcoming Killers of the Flower Moon which will mark the 7th collaboration between Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese. The hype doesn’t end here as the movie also co-stars stalwarts like Brendan Fraser and Robert De Niro. Nobody can disagree that Hollywood would have lost a gem too soon if DiCaprio took the other decision back then.
Killers of the Flower Moon will be released on October 20, 2023, while Titanic can be streamed on Amazon Prime.
Source: The Fan Carpet
