The role that sent Leonardo DiCaprio into Hollywood exile: “I needed to recharge and refocus”
Every decade, a new crop of Hollywood and music heartthrobs emerge to the adoration of screaming fans and companies eager to make a quick profit through as many forms of merchandise as possible. From Elvis Presley and The Beatles to Rob Lowe and Johnny Depp, as trends and styles change, so do the men that become the topic of widespread media coverage. When the 1990s rolled around, floppy-haired young men with a youthful sensibility were all the rage, with Leonardo DiCaprio embodying this archetype to a tee.
The actor rose to prominence as a main cast member in the show Parenthood between 1990 and 1991 before making his film debut with a role in Critters 3, a movie the actor prefers to forget. Despite the star now being known as one of Hollywood’s most iconic figures, he cut his teeth in television, taking on another sizable role in the show Growing Pains.
That would be the last time he would act in a television show, however, with DiCaprio soon breaking through into the film industry with several critically acclaimed performances in movies like What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and The Basketball Diaries. From here, DiCaprio’s star power began to rise, and he found himself earning the ‘teen heartthrob’ label.
Proving his versatility with these roles – the former seeing him play a teenager with a mental disability and the latter a heroin addict – he then starred opposite David Thewlis as the poet Arthur Rimbaud in the erotic Total Eclipse. Yet, it was Romeo + Juliet, directed by Baz Luhrmann, that really sealed the deal for DiCaprio, allowing him to become one of the industry’s most sought-after stars.
“It was a very surreal period.”
leonardo dicaprio
The modern retelling of Shakespeare’s classic play proved DiCaprio’s brilliance as an actor capable of troubled and tragic characters, with his portrayal of Romeo adored by critics and hormonal teenagers alike. However, the following year, he landed a part that would force him to take a step back from Hollywood for a bit, overwhelmed by his position in the industry as one of the most adored and recognisable faces.
It was 1997, and Titanic hit theatres to instant success, going on to gross over $1billion during its initial release. DiCaprio played the ambitious and romantic artist Jack, who boards the mighty ship after winning his ticket in a poker game. After meeting Rose, an unhappy 17-year-old being forced to marry a rich businessman she couldn’t care less about, they fall in love. As tragedy strikes, the new couple are torn apart, leaving audiences across the world weeping as DiCaprio’s icy body is plunged into the ocean.
DiCaprio became the new face of his generation, and it seemed as though audiences couldn’t get enough of the star. Despite the acclaim he earned, he found it hard to navigate what felt like a whole new world. “It was a very surreal period. It was bizarre. I took a break for a couple of years because it was so intense. I needed to recharge and refocus,” he told Time Out.
After Titanic, DiCaprio could be seen in The Man in the Iron Mask and Celebrity, both released in 1998, but the following year was a period of escape from the limelight as the actor adjusted to his new life as a superstar. He returned in 2000 with The Beach, and he has since gone on to appear in countless huge movies, eventually winning an Oscar for The Revenant in 2015.
