Leonardo DiCaprio explains why he owes Sharon Stone so much. "I cannot thank her enough”

Today, Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the most famous and richest actors. The Hollywood star has an impressive career and his talent has been rewarded with an Oscar. Without the assistance and generosity of his older colleague, DiCaprio may not have accomplished all of this. Sharon Stone is the one to whom he owes the opportunity for a career breakthrough.

It all started in 1995, when DiCaprio played in This Boy's Life and a sensational role in What's Eating Gilbert Grape alongside Johnny Depp, for which he was nominated for an Oscar. However, he still wasn't recognized by the general public. Back then the teenage actor auditioned for Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead. Sharon Stone observed during the audition that young Leo was a perfect match for the role and would complement her and Russell Crowe well.

Unfortunately, producers from TriStar Pictures weren't convinced by the young, unrecognizable actor and refused to cast him. They stated that if Sharon Stone is so keen to meet him on set, she must pay for his engagement out of her own pocket. In her memoir The Beauty of Living Twice the actress described how she dealt with the studio (see Variety).

Sharon Stone's generosity helped advance Leonardo DiCaprio's career, leading to roles in significant films such as James Cameron's Titanic, which brought the actor into the limelight. After some time, the actor acknowledged how much he owes to Sharon Stone's intervention.

The situation with TriStar Pictures led the star of Basic Instinct to become a producer in order to have more influence on future projects.

Pamela Jakiel

Pamela Jakiel

Finished film studies, graduate of the Faculty Individual Studies in the Humanities at the Jagiellonian University. Her master's thesis was about new spirituality in contemporary cinema. The editor of the Filmomaniak service since April 2023, supports the lead editor and the boss of all newspeople. She used to write for naEkranie. If she's not watching The Ninth Gate for the hundredth time, then she's reading books by Therese Bohman and Donna Tartt for the first time. She prefers gnosis over dread, dramas over horrors, Jung over Freud. She looks for symbolist paintings in museums. Runs long distances, and does even the longer ones on a gravel. Loves dachshunds.