Leonardo DiCaprio has been one of the in-demand actors for some time, taking over a few of the most coveted and sought-after roles in Hollywood. Even within the ’90s when he was simply an up-and-coming actor, DiCaprio was on many director’s watchlists. Apparently, the Oscar winner auditioned for the Disney Halloween basic Hocus Pocus again within the day and was “superb.” Nonetheless, there was a disappointing facet of the entire assembly for the filmmaker behind the beloved movie.
The director, Kenny Ortega, lately opened up about taking over Hocus Pocus and what went into casting a few of the iconic roles. The movie scored, with massive names like Sarah Jessica Parker and Bette Midler becoming a member of the forged. Nonetheless, as Ortega additionally instructed Leisure Weekly, Leonardo DiCaprio was the one which bought away. He recounted how his encounter with the Titanic icon got here to be, saying:
[My casting team] known as me up and mentioned, ‘We’re sending somebody in, however you possibly can’t have him.’ They mentioned, ‘We wish you to know who he’s, we wish you to satisfy him, he is agreed to return in to satisfy you, however he cannot do the function. He is being provided a film with [Robert] De Niro and What’s Consuming Gilbert Grape.’
So from the soar, the actor was already dedicated to a lot of main tasks, so his audition for Hocus Pocus was primarily a formality, it appears. In hindsight, it appears like Kenny Ortega, who’s additionally helmed Excessive College Musical and Newsies, was dissatisfied by that. I am unable to even think about being a filmmaker watching an incredible actor auditioning whereas understanding that I would not even have the ability to rent them. Nonetheless, it appears like he relishes the truth that he had the prospect to see the Romeo + Juliet star’s expertise up shut:
He got here in, and he was simply superb — so extraordinary and distinctive — he got here and he was careworn. He mentioned, ‘I really feel unhealthy that I am right here as a result of I am unable to do that, as a result of I am actually centered on these different issues,’ and I mentioned, ‘Understandably.’ We shared a sandwich collectively. He was tremendous cool. When he walked out, I known as my casting brokers and I mentioned, ‘You are murdering me, right here.’
It’s a bit unusual {that a} casting workplace would ship in an actor that couldn’t do the movie within the first place. Possibly the casting workplace hoped the duo would hit it off, Leonardo DiCaprio may take into account doing a unique movie with the director or the studio sooner or later. Regardless, it is candy to listen to that the veteran director nonetheless appears to be like again on that second positively. Although it didn’t work out, the filmmaker nonetheless appears content material over having forged Omari Katz as Max Dennison, which was the function the character DiCaprio was being thought of for. He defined:
It was so clear to me that this man was so particular, however I’ve to say, when Omri got here in, there was one thing there that was simply so excellent and that I really feel, to today, he delivered all that I may’ve hoped for in that function. He was lovely.
It finally looks like it labored out for everybody concerned. Omari Katz is fantastic within the spooky basic, and Hocus Pocus lives on as a well-liked October favourite — and even acquired a Disney+ sequel movie in 2022. In the meantime, the 2 motion pictures Leonardo DiCaprio ended up engaged on had been monumental for his profession. What’s Consuming Gilbert Grape earned him his first Oscar nomination, and This Boy’s Life, the Robert De Niro movie Kenny Ortega cited, is a memorable early movie for the actor. And years after working with the rising star on that film, De Niro launched DiCaprio to Martin Scorsese, they usually’ve since cast a inventive relationship that is advanced. To that time, only in the near past DiCaprio and De Niro labored with Scorsese once more on historic drama Killers of the Flower Moon.
If this audition story does something, it additional drives dwelling the purpose that the now-48-year-old actor has lengthy been extremely coveted. Kenny Ortega seemingly wasn’t the one director who wished the younger actor for his film, and you may’t assist however surprise how his profession may’ve turned out if he’d made totally different selections. Nonetheless, if his audition was really as robust because the filmmaker remembers, Leonardo DiCaprio was at all times destined for greatness.
You’ll be able to try the 1993 flick Hocus Pocus, which is streaming now for Disney+ subscribers. Followers of the aforementioned main man can see him in Killers of the Flower Moon, which is in theaters now and shall be accessible to stream with an Apple TV+ subscription within the close to future.
