The iconic role Leonardo DiCaprio turned down for ‘The Beach’
When it comes to freedom of choice, few actors have been as fortunate as Leonardo DiCaprio. Since the 1990s, the Hollywood leading man has been the first port-of-call for countless directors; just ask Christian Bale, who ended up replacing DiCaprio in one of the most successful films of the new millennium, leaving the young actor to take on a role which is generally regarded as one of his worst.
After the success of James Cameron’s Titanic, DiCaprio was looking for something he could really get his teeth into. It was good news, then, when Mary Harron was replaced by Oliver Stone as the director of American Psycho. Despite working with a small budget, Harron was sure she wanted Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman, the murderous Wall Street psychopath who defines Bret Easton Ellis’ original novel. The production company, Lionsgate, weren’t so sure – they wanted Leonardo DiCaprio, but Harron refused to back down.
After multiple clashes, Harron was replaced by Oliver Stone, who placed Leo in the lead role. After accepting, DiCaprio supposedly recieved word from feminist activist Gloria Steinem, who warned the actor that, by taking on the role, he risked alienating his “13-year-old-girl” fanbase and committing career suicide. Speaking to Vice, American Psycho screenwriter Guinevere Turner claimed that Steinem – Bale’s stepmother – took DiCaprio to a Yankees game and urged him not to do the movie: “‘Please don’t do this movie,'” she reportedly told the actor. “‘Coming off of Titanic, there is an entire planet full of 13-year-old girls waiting to see what you do next, and this is going to be a movie that has horrible violence toward women.'”
Shortly afterwards, DiCaprio dropped out of the project, with the press citing creative differences with Oliver Stone. As a result, Mary Harron was reinstalled as director and Christian Bale was handed the role of Bateman. DiCaprio, meanwhile, found a part in Danny Boyle’s The Beach, for which he recieved less than favourable reviews, with many regarding his portrayal of Richard as one of the most shallow of his career.
Whether Steinem really did play a part in all of this remains the subject of speculation, but one thing’s for sure: DiCaprio’s loss was Bale’s gain. The actor has openly discussed how many of his roles were passed on by the Titanic star, partly explaining the rivalry between the pair. This time, of course, it seems as though things worked out for the best. Well, For Bale, at least. His performance in American Psycho remains perhaps the greatest of his career, with the actor capturing the unhinged inner world of Patrick Bateman with worrying effortlessness.
