Leonardo DiCaprio - The Biography. Douglas Wight

Leonardo DiCaprio - The Biography - Douglas  Wight


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the same characters. This time Ed Begley Jr. took on the lead role of Gil Buckman but the ensemble cast deserved more than the reception they received. Leonardo appeared in all 12 one-hour episodes as Garry Buckman – again, essentially a troubled teenager (and a part played by Joaquin Phoenix in the original movie). It was said he had analysed Phoenix’s performance as if studying Olivier to play Richard III, but the dedication paid off and he landed the part. However, by December 1990, the series was off the air. Just as he had been settling into some full-time work, Leonardo was once more looking for a regular gig.

      He wasn’t out of work for long, however, and his next significant break came in the shape of another TV series. Growing Pains was a homely sitcom that had been running since 1985 about an affluent family in Long Island, New York. One of the stars of the show had been Kirk Cameron, who played the family’s troublemaking teenage son, Mike Seaver. Come 1992, the producers felt Kirk was getting on a bit to still be pulling in the younger female viewers and so the search was launched to find a new heartthrob.

      The character of Mike became a teacher in a health centre and befriended a teenage homeless boy, who would eventually move in with the family. The producers hoped the storyline would highlight the plight of America’s homeless, while at the same time re-energising a dying product.

      ‘That was when I was sent on, to rekindle the girls’ lust for a young man,’ Leonardo said.

      His character Luke Brower first appeared as a guest addition and then became a regular member of the Seaver family throughout the show’s seventh series.

      Sam Anderson, who played Principal Willis Dewitt, said of Leo’s arrival: ‘What a cute kid and what a heart-tugger! He was a real interesting addition to that group because he was different to what we were used to.’

      Leonardo’s appearance failed to re-ignite the interest in the show that the producers were craving but interestingly, it did serve to get him noticed with young fans. For the first time he began receiving attention from teenage girls, who instantly recognised him from the series.

      ‘I get teenyboppers following me around, like, “Hi, hi, hi, what’s your name? You’re from Growing Pains, aren’t you?” I like that, you know. It’s pretty fun to have people recognise you,’ he said.

      Irmelin, who was by now handling her son’s publicity, recognised a phenomenon that could be exploited and she set about arranging interviews for Leo with some of the most popular teen girl magazines. The upshot was while the show foundered, Leo’s stock was rising.

      When the series was eventually canned, Leonardo spoke out with an honesty not often found in young actors still finding their feet. ‘The new writing was awful,’ he remarked candidly. ‘Either that, or I’m not sexy at all. Either one – you tell me.’

      He went on: ‘I had these lame lines – I couldn’t bear it, actually. Everyone was bright and chipper.’

      Leo might have been frustrated by the lack of genuine opportunities to test himself and feared being pigeon-holed as a bit-part player in tired TV series but he was at least beginning to forge a reputation as a teenager adept at grittier characters. Parenthood and Growing Pains might not have been cutting-edge drama but within these saccharine settings he emerged as a credible addition to the casts.

      By then, though he had definitely caught the acting bug: ‘I was lucky enough to get some auditions and commercials when I was 14 and 15, and then a part in a television show at 16, which turned me on to the whole process. I was hooked – not on the prospect of money anymore, though that was great, but on the simple process of acting itself. Something happened. I found I could think myself into the parts and it gave me the biggest thrill.’

      By this time his stepbrother Adam had enjoyed limited success and followed up his success in TV ads with a couple of films – Looker and The Incredible Shrinking Woman with Lily Tomlin. However, unlike Leonardo and despite the ready cash provided, Adam found he could take or leave the acting game.

      He says: ‘I had a deal with my mum that at anytime I wanted to, I could stop. In the end I decided I just wanted to be a kid and play with my friends, and my mum was cool about it. She never pushed me into anything and I just wanted to be a normal kid.’

      Being a ‘normal kid’ was the last thing that Leo wanted, though. He wanted to play, too, but his game was movies. And at the same time as he secured the slot on Growing Pains, he also landed what was to be his movie debut. However, his dreams of a big screen break would have to be put on hold because Critters 3, the flick that would provide him with his first full-length feature, bypassed the cinemas and went straight to video.

      The reaction of most people on learning Leonardo DiCaprio’s first-ever movie was Critters 3 is astonishment that there was even a Critters 2. The original was a shameless attempt to cash in on the success of the far superior Gremlins (1984) and even a sequel felt like a film too many. By the time the third instalment came along, the plot had changed dramatically from a small town attempting to repel the alien invaders to a large city battling with the same problems. Leonardo fans might also have been surprised to learn their favourite actor was in it because he, rather understandably, prefers to leave it off his resume.

      The no-budget science-fiction movie was made in a warehouse and Leo played the stepson of an evil landlord, a role he describes as ‘your average, no-depth, standard kid with blond hair.’ That was him being kind. When pushed, he was equally glowing about the experience as he was about Growing Pains: ‘It was possibly one of the worst films of all time. I guess it was a good example to look back on and make sure it doesn’t happen again.’

      He might be harsh but it is interesting to note that the part of Josh, so expertly nailed by Leonardo, was initially turned down by British actor Cary Elwes, who rejected it, evidently, for a bit part in Hot Shots! Elwes had starred in The Princess Bride and Robin Hood: Men in Tights but further leading roles would elude him. That’s not to say but for Critters, Elwes might have enjoyed the same stellar success as DiCaprio but the difference in their attitudes meant that Leonardo wasn’t willing to let any opportunities pass him by at this time.

      It was with this same philosophy in mind that he secured his next movie role. He made a fleeting appearance in the thriller Poison Ivy (1992), the vehicle that it was hoped would signal ET star Drew Barrymore’s teenage comeback and arrival as a serious actress. Leo only pops up in the opening sequence as Barrymore’s eponymous wild child character ruthlessly dispenses with an injured dog.

      These experiences gave Leonardo a taste for moviemaking that he would never shake off. And although he was amused by the reputation he was cultivating as a heartthrob, this wasn’t something he was planning to rely on in the long-term.

      ‘Even early on, around the time I left Growing Pains, I said to myself I was going to do my own thing and not be hunk of the month,’ he said. And as he looked towards his next project, he hoped this would be the break into serious acting he so desperately craved.

       CHAPTER 3

       EARLY REJECTIONS

      As Leonardo and his dad sat in the cinema about to be entertained by a knockabout crime thriller, George turned to his son when the leading man appeared on screen and whispered: ‘See this guy? Now, this guy is cool! His name is Robert De Niro, OK? You remember that name. He’s cool.’

      The film was Midnight Run – De Niro’s surprising hit comedy, where his bounty hunter character Jack Walsh tries to bring in fugitive criminal Charles Grodin. It was 1988, but little did young Leonardo know that just three years on from that night, he would be standing in front of the very same Bobby De Niro trying to impress the pants off him.

      Leonardo was auditioning for the role of a kid who has been abused by his mum’s volatile boyfriend. This


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