If you ever feel bad about your spending habits, remember that Hollywood legend Nicolas Cage once fought Leonardo DiCaprio tooth and nail to possess a bizarre item. Eccentric hobbies or spending habits that excessive money brings about are nothing new. However, there are times when people do go a little overboard.
Although people are no one to judge, it sure is entertaining if not utterly shocking sometimes learning about a shining new purchase someone in Tinsel Town made. One such purchase took the shape of a bizarre bidding war between two of Hollywood’s most worshipped legends a few years ago. Nicolas Cage fought Leonardo DiCaprio with tooth, nail, and money for a dinosaur skull estimated to be around 67 million years old.
Nicolas Cage and Leonardo DiCaprio’s skull war
Back in 2007, Nicolas Cage was well on his way to making his name known as a “collector” of sorts. He bought 3 homes, 22 cars, including 9 Rolls Royces, and over 45 art and exotic objects that year. So, obviously, when a 67 million years old dinosaur skull was listed for auction, his interest was piqued.
Especially as the auctioneer claimed the Tyrannosaurus Bataar skull to be the largest one ever to be auctioned as such, and what a great addition it would be to any fossil collector’s prized possessions. Cage was immediately sold and proceeded to take the coveted skull home with him.
However, a bump in the ride came along in the shape of none other than Leonardo DiCaprio himself eyeing the coveted prize himself. What ensued was a battle of money and obviously how much they were willing to pay to put this stunning jewel on their crowns. It turned out that Nicolas Cage’s desire for the prize eventually won out as he finally got to own it for a staggering $276 million, beating DiCaprio.
However, in a disappointing turn of events for him, he had to eventually give it up in 2015 when it was revealed that the skull was smuggled from Mongolia along with other exotic fossils by Eric Prokopi.
Nicolas Cage and Leonardo DiCaprio’s wildly different careers
Although they are contemporaries in the industry, Nicolas Cage and Leonardo DiCaprio have had very little to do with each other over the years. Although they might have gotten to interact here and there, their wildly different career paths have kept them apart.
While DiCaprio made his name in the industry with big names, and tremendous critical acclamation, Nicolas Cage seemed to mostly follow his heart. From Gone in 60 Seconds to Willy’s Wonderland, he has featured in projects very few would dare take up at the height of their careers. As he claimed in an interview that he does not prefer to call himself an actor, as he doesn’t feel that suits him well. He added,
“With the risk of sounding like a pretentious a-hole, I like the word thespian because thespian means you’re going into your heart.”
And while some of those choices have indeed backfired on him, he has also received genuine appreciation for his craft. Be it his Academy Awards win for Leaving Las Vegas, or the most recent critical appraisal for Pig, he has won the heart of many throughout his career.
DiCaprio on the other hand, featured in big movies, like Titanic, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Departed, Inception, etc. However, his acting skills too, have astounded audiences every time. As a result, he too finally snatched the Best Actor Oscar for his 2016 The Revenant.
So, although the coveted dinosaur skull left them both in the dust sooner or later, it should be mentioned that it did not affect their lives poorly. In fact, both are quite busy these days, Nicolas Cage with his Renfield out in the theaters and Sympathy for the Devil arriving later this year. Leonardo DiCaprio, too, is all set for Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon releasing in Autumn.
Nicolas Cage’s Renfield was released on the 14th of this month and Sympathy for the Devil is all set to be released on July 28th, while Leonardo DiCaprio’s Killers of the Flower Moon is set for arrival on October 6th, 2023.
Source: Insider
