When Martin Scorsese’s casual praise left Leonardo DiCaprio speechless: “I was blown away by that”
Few people in Hollywood induce a state of awe and admiration from other people in the business, with actors and filmmakers sharing those who would most leave them star-struck. It could be the widespread reverence for the work of Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman or Viola Davis, but regardless of how well your work has been received, there will always be someone you perceive as achieving more. Despite being at the top of his game, Leonardo DiCaprio is a human just like anyone else and has found himself completely enamoured by the presence of some of his co-stars and colleagues over the years.
After building a reputation for gritty and demanding roles in films such as The Revenant, The Wolf of Wall Street and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the actor has had the privilege of working with some of the greatest directors of all time, despite his initial intimidation at meeting one in particular.
DiCaprio is one of the titular movie stars of our time, with a name synonymous with his early heart-throb years that sent the tabloids into a frenzy and his devastating on-screen performances in the likes of Titanic, Inception and Shutter Island. However, despite being familiar with the warped and limiting effect of fame on your identity and how people interact with you, the actor found himself feeling all of those things when he met his long-time hero as a teenager.
The actor began working in the industry as a child, later starring in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Basketball Diaries as a teenager. It was after these performances that he was recognised as one of the most exciting up-and-coming talents in Hollywood, something that was not lost on the great Martin Scorsese.
Despite still thinking of himself as being relatively unknown, DiCaprio recalled the early years of his fame and the shock he experienced when recognised by Scorsese in a bar. The actor explained, “I was in New York. I believe I was 18 or so, I had just done Gilbert Grape, and there was an afterparty down at some bar downtown. You [Scorsese] were there, I quickly bumped into you, and I was sort of paralysed that it was you. And I just sort of stood there, and you said, ‘Hey kid, I saw your movie, you did a great job in that film, keep it up, keep it up.’ And I just didn’t say anything, he just sort of walked by me.”
This would be a pinch-me moment for any newcomer in the industry, and the idea of being known by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time and being familiar with him would be completely jarring and incredulous. DiCaprio expanded on this, saying, “And I was kind of, I was shocked that he’d actually seen. I’d done two movies at that time, This Boy’s Life and Gilbert Grape. I was shocked that he’d actually seen the film and said something to me, and I was just kind of blown away by that.”
While he may have been surprised at his reputation, this speaks to his humility and relationship to fame during the beginning of his career. He was more motivated by his work and finding creative fulfilment instead of focusing on how this was being received, which is perhaps the key to staying sane and normal when thrust into the public eye. The pair went on to collaborate on many pictures, showing the true impression that he had made on Scorsese, despite not knowing the full extent of this at the time.
