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Leonardo DiCaprio might not have the career that he does today if it wasn’t for Sharon Stone, who pulled a very un-Hollywood move by making sure he got cast in 1995’s The Quick and the Dead. It seems that the studio didn’t want to place their bets on the rising young actor, so Stone did instead.
Stone loved his work in the 1993 movie What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and knew she wanted to work with him. When he auditioned for The Quick and the Dead, she realized that this was his big opportunity. “This kid named Leonardo DiCaprio was the only one who nailed the audition, in my opinion: he was the only one who came in and cried, begging his father to love him as he died in the scene,” she wrote in her memoir, The Beauty of Living Twice. “The studio said if I wanted him so much, I could pay him out of my own salary. So I did.”
As a producer, she used her power for good to get the cast she wanted and gave DiCaprio an even bigger platform to showcase his talents. The 49-year-old actor told E! News recently that he “cannot thank her enough” for rolling the dice on his career. “She said, ‘These are the two actors I want to work with,'” he shared. “It’s incredible. She’s been a huge champion of cinema and giving other actors opportunities, so I’m very thankful.”
DiCaprio noted that he’s thanked her many times in person, but there’s one think he has yet to do: Give her a “physical thank-you gift.” Since it’s the holiday season, and he has an Oscar on his shelf, maybe DiCaprio can find the perfect way to give back after Stone’s generous offer almost 30 years ago.
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