The unlikely actor who intimidated Leonardo DiCaprio: “Just froze my spine”
Having grown up in the industry and collaborated with many of Hollywood’s most formidable talents at a young age, Leonardo DiCaprio probably doesn’t find himself being intimidated all that often now he’s firmly entrenched as the exact same acclaimed and esteemed veteran he used to work with.
By his mid-20s, DiCaprio had shared a set with Robert De Niro, Johnny Depp, Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, James Cameron, Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, and Jeremy Irons, to name just a few. All of them were stars, Academy Award winners, icons, or a combination of all three.
Even when he graduated into more adult roles and distanced himself from the post-Titanic hysteria, DiCaprio continued his mission to learn from the best. He added Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Daniel Day-Lewis, Martin Scorsese, Russell Crowe, Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan, and Quentin Tarantino to the collection, ensuring that he was very unlikely to find himself being overawed or daunted by anyone.
However, it happened when he worked with Clint Eastwood, even if it wasn’t the legendary actor and filmmaker who was responsible. J Edgar won’t be remembered as either man’s finest effort, but it nonetheless placed the leading man in the unusual position of being amazed by the sheer force of personality, talent, and effortless command of someone who’s barely over five feet tall.
“She’s a sweetheart; she couldn’t be more lovely,” he told The Scotsman of Judi Dench, who played his onscreen mother. “But as soon as the cameras start rolling and you hear that voice, it’s powerful. We had a scene where I am freaked out, stuttering, and her voice just froze my spine. She has a way of commanding a scene in a room, and it’s just astounding.”
Dame Judi might be on the diminutive side, but she’s not somebody to be trifled with. After all, nobody becomes a legend of stage and screen, spends their entire professional life being showered in awards, and works with an array of illustrious colleagues spanning multiple generations if they don’t have the bit beneath their teeth, and there’s a reason why people say it’s the little ones that need to be watched out for.
Dench was in her element working with Eastwood after dreaming of the opportunity for so long, but she remained completely focused on her performance as Annie Hoover in the face of checking off an item that had been on her wish list for 75 years, so much so that she blew DiCaprio away, leaving the A-lister astounded.
Having the ability to stun a room into silence with nothing but sheer talent should probably be expected from an all-time great like Dench, even if it took DiCaprio by surprise.
