Leonardo DiCaprio has been able to enjoy a lucrative Hollywood career that granted him a staggering net worth. Although his talent and passion for acting played a part in his success, he also made some wise career choices over the years. Veteran actor Alec Baldwin liked to think that he was at least partially responsible for DiCaprio becoming the actor he eventually turned into.
Leonardo DiCaprio became the kind of actor Alec Baldwin admired
There was a brief moment in DiCaprio’s career where he almost gave up on acting. But thanks to his perseverance, he soon became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.. But even at a young age, the Oscar-winner’s goal wasn’t just to be a huge celebrity. He wanted the kind of film career that his This Boy’s Life co-star Robert De Niro had.
“I knew at 15 years old, like, this is the kind of actor I want to be. These are the type of movies I want to do, and that’s it. It’s an honor to be a working actor, period. And I’m not going to squander this opportunity,” DiCaprio once said in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning.
But another actor who took a bit of credit for helping DiCaprio fulfill his dreams is Baldwin. A veteran actor himself, Baldwin admired the kinds of actors who had real staying power in the film industry. Additionally, the 30 Rock star noticed a pattern that his favorite movie stars followed that might’ve explained their longevity.
“Acting was like sex. And when I was young, I would do it with anybody. You get bedazzled by money and by other things,” Baldwin once said in an interview with PBS News. “I always say to people, don’t live a big life in your early career, so you can really, really have a career, like Liam Neeson or like Daniel Day-Lewis, Colin Firth, Kevin Kline, people that I really admire. The who succeed the most in the business, it’s the most important thing in their lives, or at least during a very — kind of the halcyon years. Get out there and give everything you have got while you’re young and beautiful.”
Baldwin felt a young DiCaprio would’ve benefited from following a similar pattern.
“I gave this advice to Leonardo DiCaprio, and look what he’s doing. It is just working like a charm for him. He’s did everything I told him to do, and, look, he’s got women jumping out of the trees on him and he’s got an Oscar. So, you’re welcome, Leo,” he added.
How Alec Baldwin felt about working with Leonardo DiCaprio
Baldwin and DiCaprio would eventually collaborate for the feature The Aviator, the only film that DiCaprio took acting classes for. The Alice star was even more impressed by DiCaprio when working alongside him up close.
“I remember being around Leo DiCaprio in The Aviator and thinking, God, how gifted this guy is, how he’s taking advantage of his opportunities. I love to watch the young actor transition into the grown man on film,” he once told Playboy.
Although he quipped there was one peculiar thing that DiCaprio did with his forehead that couldn’t help but distract the Beetlejuice actor.
“Leo DiCaprio has this thing where when he really is concerned about something…he screws up his forehead and it looks like some kind of Chinese or Japanese character on his forehead,” Baldwin once said according to Irish Examiner.
Why Alec Baldwin didn’t have the career that Leonardo DiCaprio have
Baldwin had a prolific career in his own right. At the height of his fame, he was also considered one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. But the Saturday Night Live alum didn’t make the kind of connections that DiCaprio and other A-listers made during their peak years. Baldwin believed his lack of networking might’ve cost him and stunted his own potential.
“If you’re a young De Niro and you forge into a unit with Martin Scorsese or Woody Allen and the company of actors that included his former wife, or Leo with Scorsese—I didn’t have that. It’s like they’re asking you to walk down a dark alley. If it’s the right people, a door at the end leads to a fabulous wonderland. But the people who asked me to come down the alleyway? I was like, ‘Eh…let me get back to you,’” he said.
