The cheesy TV series Leonardo DiCaprio refused to star in: “It was the best thing to happen”
He might be one of the most consistent top-level actors in Hollywood, but history will always remember Leonardo DiCaprio as having made his feature debut in straight-to-video horror sequel Critters 3.
Everybody has to start somewhere, and for many future superstars, it’s been bargain-basement tales of terror, with many of them virtually disowning those early gigs in the years to come. DiCaprio is definitely in that boat, having previously dismissed his first movie as “possibly one of the worst films of all time,” but he’s more than atoned for that self-professed sin.
Even on the small screen, the youngster’s first appearance came in two episodes of The New Lassie in 1989, so it wasn’t as if he was being predicted for big things from the start. It wasn’t long before he reached that point, though, and DiCaprio’s filmography in recent years has set the benchmark for combining acclaimed performances with box office-busting earning power.
Of the ten films he’s made since 2010, eight of them have turned a tidy profit and the two that didn’t – Don’t Look Up and Killers of the Flower Moon – were hampered by streaming. Seven of them were nominated for ‘Best Picture’ at the Academy Awards, and he was nominated for three ‘Best Actor’ trophies, winning for The Revenant. He was also shortlisted for three Golden Globes for pictures that didn’t get him on the Oscars shortlist, a testament to his ability to pick the most prestigious parts.
That’s the modern DiCaprio in microcosm, although the fresher-faced version missed out on the opportunity to take an early role in a cultural sensation. During the apex of its popularity, the world was obsessed with the sun-kissed TV series with a fondness for skimpy swimwear and slow-motion jaunts down the beach, becoming the single most-watched show on the planet.
For years, urban legends posited that DiCaprio was on Baywatch‘s radar, and they were confirmed by somebody more in the know than most. “Yeah, it was true,” David Hasselhoff told Movieline. “I saw Leonardo DiCaprio, and I said, ‘You know what, that was the best thing that ever happened to you. You would have never gotten Titanic and have been this big star. You’d be like Jeremy Jackson and David Hasselhoff: looking for work.”
DiCaprio had auditioned to play Hobie Buchannon, the son of Hasselhoff’s Mitch. The character was originated by Brandon Call in the first season before the aforementioned Jackson stepped in for the remainder of Baywatch‘s run. The part was his for the taking, only for the aspiring actor to get cold feet and remove himself from the running, which was an inspired decision in the long run.
With the greatest of respect, neither Call nor Jackson have achieved a huge amount in their careers since the series ended, whereas DiCaprio has continued going from strength to strength for three decades and counting.
