“I remember them lining us up like cattle”: Leonardo DiCaprio Was Only 11 When He Nearly Quit Acting After Traumatic Incident With an Agent

Before dominating Hollywood, Leonardo DiCaprio almost took an early retirement after a string of disappointments.

Given Leonardo DiCaprio’s stature in showbiz, who earned his big break in ’93, one would reasonably assume that he had it in the bag from the very get-go.

Interestingly, things couldn’t have been more different, as the years leading to his first break in the realm of TV and later on the big screen were pretty uncertain.

Leonardo DiCaprio in Shutter Island | Credit: Paramount Pictures.

At one point, the Titanic star almost considered giving up his acting shtick, as he recalled losing his confidence after numerous disappointments, especially after his one meeting with a casting agent at the age of 11.

Leonardo DiCaprio was overwhelmed by early setbacks

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape | Credit: Paramount Pictures.

While it’s not uncommon for an actor to miss out on roles, one such incident completely shattered Leonardo DiCaprio‘s confidence.

Revisiting the traumatic event, the actor recalled being nonchalantly rejected by one casting agent, which made the 11-year-old presume that “the community was now against me”.

He recalled (via Vanity Fair):

I remember them lining us up like cattle. There were eight boys. A woman comes up and says, ‘O.K., no, no, yes, yes, no, no, no, yes. Thank you

Although it didn’t set him back completely, as he found himself a commercial gig at 14, DiCaprio almost considered quitting the industry as he wasn’t able to land roles in showbiz for a prolonged period.

I hadn’t gotten a job in a year and a half. That’s like over a hundred auditions. You get pretty disillusioned. … One day I just decided I hated everyone. I hated all these casting directors. I hated them all. . . . I was ready to quit.

Fortunately for him and fans of cinema, the Inception star once again got back up on his feet to audition for Parenthood, which he ended up securing.

But it was the year 1993 that finally kickstarted his rise to the top.

This Boy’s Life started Leonardo Dicaprio’s decades-long dominance

This Boy’s Life | Credit: Warner Bros.

Even though DiCaprio had earned himself notable notoriety in the business up to that point, thanks to his work on the small screen, This Boy’s Life and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape earned him recognition on the big screen.

While it was the latter release that earned him his first Oscar nod, the former proved to be a game-changer for the actor, which DiCaprio described as a baptism of fire, thanks to Robert De Niro.

When [De Niro] showed up on the set, it was like the Pope showed up. Everything is on lockdown. ‘Shh, shh, quiet.

Instead of being nervous about the prospect of auditioning opposite Robert De Niro, DiCaprio opted to stand out among his peers by screaming noo at De Niro’s face during the audition, which ended up working in his favor.