Robert De Niro recently shared that 17 year old Leonardo DiCaprio made quite an impression on him during auditions.
While talking to People magazine, the 80 year old actor mentioned that he had first met Leonardo during auditions for the beautiful memoir This Boy’s Life in 1993.
Leonardo DiCaprio auditioned for a different role at first however, soon after his reading try-out, Robert turned to producer Art Linson and said, “Art, that kid was really, it was interesting.”
“I didn’t push it. I just said, ‘That kid had something special’.” Later, DiCaprio ended up playing the lead part of the thriller drama, alongside De Niro.
For those unfamiliar, This Boy’s Life follows the story of Tobias Wolff (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his experience with an abusive step father.
Set in the 1950s, the movie begins with Toby’s mother looking for a decent man to marry and provide a better life for herself and Toby, then ends up finding Dwight Hansen (Robert De Niro). However, soon after she marries Dwight, he unveils his abusive traits.
The movie was directed by Michael Caton-Jones and was based on Tobias Wolff’s memoir of the same name. The slice-of-life film garnered global acknowledgement with audience applauding both, the performance and the captivating storyline.