Before American Psycho, Leonardo DiCaprio Refused $128M Thriller Starring Matt Damon That Won 5 Oscar Nominations for a Box-Office Disaster That Nearly Killed His Career

Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the most exalted actors working today. However, just like every famous actor, he has left plenty of projects or discarded some to work on others. Sometimes it worked out well, while other times, not so much.

For example, not many know that DiCaprio left an Oscar-nominated film for one of the biggest bombs of his career. So, one has to wonder how his career would have panned out if he had chosen to do that Oscar-nominated film or even American Psycho.

Was Letting Go Of An Oscar Nominated Film, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Worst Career Decision?

Matt Damon in The Talented Mr. Ripley

The Guardian reported that Leonardo DiCaprio was offered the role of Matt Damon’s Tom Ripley in Anthony Minghella’s 1999 psychological thriller film, The Talented Mr. Ripley. But the actor instead went on to star in Danny Boyle’s 2000 adventure drama, The Beach. The latter grossed $39 million on a $50 million budget.

Leonardo DiCaprio in The Beach

But The Talented Mr. Ripley grossed $128 million on a $40 million budget. That’s not all. It went on to bag 5 Oscar nominations at the Academy Awards. It took home nominations for Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Music, and Best Writing. However, it didn’t win any.

Yet, it received plenty of critical adulation and is still a beloved and well-watched film. Something that can’t be said for The Beach. As such, it was a critical mistake by Leonardo DiCaprio and almost sunk his career. But this wasn’t the only mistake career mistake by the actor. He also turned down American Psycho.

Leonardo DiCaprio Committed A Career Blunder By Turning Down American Psycho

Christian Bale in American Psycho

Over the years, American Psycho has cemented itself as a pop-culture staple. In fact, Christian Bale’s Patrick Bateman has seen a resurgence in popularity in the recent years as well. As such, one has to wonder how the film would have been received if Leonardo DiCaprio had taken the role, like the studio, Lionsgate, wanted.

In fact, director Mary Harron was ousted from the project initially because she wanted the lesser-known star Christian Bale while the studio was adamant about getting Leonardo DiCaprio. So why didn’t The Shutter Island star sign on to the project? It’s allegedly because as per Vice, Gloria Steinem told DiCaprio not to do a film that depicted violence against women when his fanbase was heavily made up of young girls and women.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Later on, Harron was brought back and Christian Bale got the lead role of the savage and demented banker. The rest is history. The film grossed $34 million against a $8 million budget. One has to wonder if DiCaprio regrets not doing these films. Guess we will not know for now.