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The cult movie Leonardo DiCaprio rejected

Sun 11 June 2023 17:30, UK

Following the upheaval in fortunes for actor Brendan Fraser, he is set to star in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming historical drama The Killers of the Flower Moon alongside the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons in one of Scorsese’s most anticipated films yet.

Of course, both DiCaprio and Fraser came through the acting ranks around the same time, in the early 1990s, but their careers took very different turns. Fraser enjoyed initial success up until the early 2000s, while DiCaprio has continued to rise in a position of being considered one of the greatest actors of his generation. However, the two actors were both involved in the same role earlier in their respective careers.

In 1995, Fraser starred in the coming-of-age drama Now and Then, but interestingly, he only got the part because his new co-star, Leonardo DiCaprio, turned it down. The film, in which four women recount a story from their 1970s adolescence, is directed by Lesli Linka Glatter and boasts an impressive cast including the likes of Christina Ricci, Rosie O’Donnell, Demi Moore and Rita Wilson, amongst several others.

Screenwriter Marlene King once revealed that the production managed to secure their first choices for each role, excluding Fraser, who was indeed a stand-in for DiCaprio. “The one role that originally was different was Leonardo DiCaprio was going to play the Vietnam vet, but something happened, and he had a conflict,” she told Entertainment Tonight.

“I know, it’s crazy,” she continued before admitting that Fraser himself was a more than suitable replacement. “Brendan Fraser was a last-minute swap for him,” she added, “But Brendan did such a good job, so it was all good.”

In light of Fraser and DiCaprio starring together after their very different career trajectories, Fraser opened up on their first meeting (at a screening of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape) and how DiCaprio felt that Fraser was one of the first people who gave him the respect he undoubtedly deserved.

He told SiriusXM: “[DiCaprio] told me I was the first person that didn’t treat him like a little kid because when I met him, I didn’t see a little kid. I saw a really formidable actor who was a young person, of course, but a force to be reckoned with. And man, I was lucky to go on that quick journey with them to work with Scorsese.”

Check out the trailer for Now and Then below, which very nearly featured an early role for Leonardo DiCaprio.