Leonardo DiCaprio Is Now Open to Playing a Superhero (Any Suggestions?)
Leonardo DiCaprio could've been Anakin Skywalker. He could've been Robin in "Batman Forever." And he could've had the Spider-Man role that went to his BFF Tobey Maguire. You could argue that Leo made the right call each time there -- the man has good taste, give him that much -- but he hasn't closed the door on taking on a part like that, now that that "superhero" roles have gotten better.
Leo recently talked to ShortList about anything and everything, including the blockbuster roles that he skipped, saying for each, that he just wasn't "ready to take that dive" or "put on that suit yet."
Here's a portion of that Q&A, to show how "The Revenant" star handled the questions:
Did that include playing Robin in Batman Forever? There's a rumour you screen-tested for it...
I never screen-tested. I had a meeting with Joel Schumacher. It was just one meeting and, no, I didn't end up doing it.
Did you actually want the role?
Er, I don't think I did, no (laughs). As I recall I took the meeting, but didn't want to play the role. Joel Schumacher is a very talented director but I don't think I was ready for anything like that.
Do you feel like you dodged a bullet?
(Laughs.)
Were you in talks to play Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels?
I did have a meeting with George Lucas about that as well, yes.
What happened?
Same scenario (laughs).
He wanted you, but you didn't fancy it?
Um, right. Exactly.
Why?
Again, just didn't feel ready to take that dive. At that point.
At that point. But times they are a-changing, and (thankfully) there are better roles out there now than Robin in "Batman Forever." When asked if the would like to play a superhero, Leo kept the door open:
You never know. You never know. They're getting better and better as far as complex characters in these movies. I haven't yet. But no, I don't rule out anything."
The next questions were about Christopher Nolan and "Inception," and it does seem like if Leo were to join the superhero world it would be with Chris Nolan in some capacity.
What do you think about Leo as a superhero (or supervillain?) and -- if he follows Ben Affleck, Christian Bale, Will Smith, Heath Ledger, Robert Downey Jr., etc. -- what role should he play?
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