There aren’t many Hollywood directors who would think twice before casting someone as iconic and renowned as Leonardo DiCaprio in their films. And then there’s Mary Harron, who wasn’t even willing to meet up with the Academy Award winner, let alone pick him for her $34.4 million project.
Despite being released over two decades ago, Harron’s American Psycho is still hailed as a cinematic masterpiece, ingrained with the most impeccable combination of satire and psychological thrill. Not to mention, Christian Bale’s stellar performance as the wealthy but deranged Patrick Bateman brought the entirety of the film together. Needless to say, Bale’s striking delivery of the character was indeed the binding element.
So, in hindsight, Harron’s decision not to cast the Titanic star was probably for the best. But it certainly didn’t sit right with other entities, so much so that the Canadian filmmaker got fired for it.
American Psycho‘s Director Was Fired for Not Casting Leonardo DiCaprio
Before Bale, 49, portrayed the legendary character of Patrick Bateman in the 2000 cult classic, Lionsgate Films, the studio attached to the project, wanted Leonardo DiCaprio to take over the role. But Mary Harron knew for a fact that the Amsterdam star would be the perfect fit for it. And though she was right, because nobody could’ve possibly depicted the delusional Wall Street serial killer as immaculately as Christian Bale did, Harron had to face some serious repercussions for not keeping the studio happy.
After The Moth Diaries director refused to even entertain the idea of casting The Wolf of Wall Street star as Patrick Bateman, Lionsgate fired her, albeit briefly because she was re-hired soon after that stint. But she had her reasons for not going ahead with DiCaprio; While Harron was aware of the actor’s irresistible charisma, she fretted that he would end up imparting a more “sympathetic” edge to the character which would ultimately demolish the real essence of the script.
“I knew I would find him charming, and then I would find myself getting into doing it with him,” the 70-year-old screenwriter said. “You have to trust your instinct, or else it’s going to be a disaster. They would change the script and try to make the character more sympathetic, and it was just going to lose anything it really had.”
Well, she wasn’t wrong either because if she hadn’t stuck with her gut feeling then American Psycho probably wouldn’t have had the imprint that it did on the audience. Besides, DiCaprio wasn’t exactly crestfallen over losing the role either.
Leonardo DiCaprio Wasn’t Bothered About Losing American Psycho
American Psycho, at its core, is a reflection of the darkest parts of modern society that get shrouded beneath all the supposedly normal aspects of the world; it’s a treasure trove, even, of blood lust, insanity, and lascivious desires that people bury deep within themselves. But turns out, that wasn’t something The Revenant star was particularly intrigued by.
While DiCaprio “sort of expressed interest” in the movie’s script, he realized it simply wasn’t what he’d been looking for. “Eventually, I realized it [American Psycho) didn’t amount to anything and didn’t mean anything in the end,” he told The Morning Call. Looks like it was a win-win for both parties.
American Psycho can be streamed on Netflix.
Source: Vice
