“That kid had something special”: Robert De Niro recalls his first impression of Leonardo DiCaprio
Since making his feature film debut in the early 1990s, Leonardo DiCaprio has become a near-constant presence on our cinema screens. He won over the hearts of millions as Jack Dawson in Titanic, endeared himself to critics with a string of Martin Scorsese collaborations, and finally took home an Academy Award in 2015 for The Revenant. Along the way, he became one of the most recognisable and respected actors in contemporary cinema.
It’s difficult to remember a time before DiCaprio earned his place as one of the biggest names in Hollywood. But long before he became Scorsese’s go-to casting for a leading man, that position was held by Robert De Niro. The New York-born actor is the only person who has more Scorsese pictures in his catalogue than DiCaprio, with ten credits to his name, almost doubling DiCaprio’s six.
Without De Niro’s backing, Scorsese might never have even embarked upon a collaborative relationship with DiCaprio. The Taxi Driver star actually convinced the beloved director to take a chance on a young DiCaprio after working with him on one of his earliest films, This Boy’s Life.
DiCaprio was just two years and three roles into his acting career when he landed a role alongside De Niro under Michael Caton-Jones’ direction. He wasn’t initially cast in a starring role, but he delivered such a remarkable performance in a script read-through that even De Niro was taken aback. “I said to Art Linson, the producer,” De Niro recalled during a conversation with People, “I said, ‘Art, that kid was really… It was interesting.’”
“I didn’t push it,” he clarified, “I just said, ‘That kid had something special.’” The crew around De Niro clearly agreed with him, as DiCaprio would be given a leading role in the film. Between This Boy’s Life and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, which premiered in the same year, he was well on his way to becoming a star.
Just three films into his career, De Niro already noticed that DiCaprio was employing techniques he dished out as advice to young actors. His approach to the reading, he recalled, rested on the assumption that he wouldn’t get the part. As a result, he, in De Niro’s words, “just didn’t give a shit.” Perhaps this fearlessness and freedom allowed him to deliver his best performance at that moment.
“I always tell young actors, when you’re reading, assume you’re not gonna get the part so you can feel more free to take a chance,” De Niro explained, “because that will be the interesting thing. Your choices, even if they’re not right for the part you’re reading for, they will draw people’s attention.”
DiCaprio’s use of this technique certainly drew attention during the production of This Boy’s Life. As well as being promoted to a leading role in the film, he won over De Niro, whose support would lead to a long-standing and lucrative collaboration almost a decade later.
DiCaprio has had a similarly striking first impression on cinema-goers. Whether you first witnessed him as a modern Romeo or as through the sleaziness and corruption of Jordan Belfort, it’s likely that DiCaprio’s prowess in front of the camera has left you in awe more than once.