The role Leonardo DiCaprio cherishes the most: “I remember every single day on set”
From an early age, Leonardo DiCaprio seemed destined for Hollywood stardom. As a child, he landed roles in several television shows before graduating into cinema as a teenager. While the actor did appear in the direct-to-video Critters 3 – a movie so bad he once called it “possibly one of the worst films of all time” – DiCaprio is perhaps much more willing to consider This Boy’s Life, opposite Robert De Niro, his first film.
Getting the chance to star alongside a Hollywood legend from the very beginning is nothing short of impressive, and DiCaprio has continued to appear alongside many cinematic legends over the years, similarly working with some of the most acclaimed filmmakers in cinema history, like Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, and Quentin Tarantino.
He’s one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, there’s no doubt about that, and his filmography is the stuff of dreams for many aspiring actors. Despite the fact he has given critically heralded performances in everything from What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Romeo + Juliet to The Departed and The Revenant, the film that DiCaprio remembers the most fondly is This Boy’s Life.
The shooting of the movie, directed by Michael Caton-Jones, proved to be a vital time in DiCaprio’s life. He was 17 years old during filming, and for the first time, he was working with established stars on a proper set. Thus, the experience is etched into his mind – because who can forget the moment that everything changed for the better? DiCaprio played Tobias Wolff, a boy who soon becomes the victim of violent abuse from his new stepfather, played by De Niro.
It’s a moving tale, and while it didn’t gross a considerable amount, critics thought the performances, especially DiCaprio’s, were fantastic. Certainly, the young star proved himself to be capable of delivering a performance way beyond his years, full of strength and vulnerability. Talking to Variety, he revealed his memories of the film, explaining that “I’m the most nostalgic about that movie, and I remember every single day on set because everything was so new to me.”
He continued, “Having come straight from a sitcom where everything was very relaxed on set, everyone was constantly joking around, to having De Niro walk on set. And the difference that the sort of dynamic and presence that he had with the crew was just—I was like, ‘What is going on here? … I can’t quite fathom what everyone’s so serious about.’”
Before This Boy’s Life, most of DiCaprio’s experience had come from his role in the television series Parenthood, which ran for 12 episodes, with the actor playing Gary Buckman. While the show did not perform well, it gave DiCaprio a chance to get used to being in front of the camera, preparing him for his future film career. After This Boy’s Life, however, the actor was handed many opportunities to play other challenging roles, such as starring opposite Johnny Depp in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, portraying his mentally disabled younger brother, and playing a drug addict in The Basketball Diaries.
