Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire appeared in the 1993 film This Boy’s Life with the former acing his audition without taking it seriously.
Leonardo DiCaprio needs no introduction today, having featured in some of the most popular movies of all time, including Titanic. Before the unprecedented success of the 1997 film, DiCaprio was still looking for his breakout role in the early 1990s. However, DiCaprio’s close friend and contemporary Tobey Maguire revealed just how nonchalant he was.
During an interview, Maguire reflected on DiCaprio’s audition for the 1993 coming-of-age movie This Boy’s Life. Maguire revealed how DiCaprio wasn’t under the slightest amount of pressure before his audition with the legendary Robert De Niro. Here is what Maguire had to say about DiCaprio’s lack of seriousness before landing his breakout role.
Tobey Maguire revealed Leonardo DiCaprio’s laid-back audition for This Boy’s Life
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio first gained recognition for his performance as Tobias “Toby” Wolff in the coming-of-drama movie This Boy’s Life. It became DiCaprio’s breakout role and also marked the first credit feature film appearance of Tobey Maguire.
During an interview with Vanity Fair, Maguire talked about his early days auditioning for movies alongside DiCaprio. Maguire talked about his friend’s laidback attitude when waiting to audition for his role in the 1993 movie, which also features Robert De Niro in a prominent role.
He was doing karate kicks in the hallway. He wasn’t serious at all.
Maguire made the above statement, recalling how DiCaprio wasn’t taking things too seriously before his big audition with De Niro. Furthermore, the Spider-Man franchise actor revealed that DiCaprio wasn’t even aware of De Niro’s stature in Hollywood.
Meanwhile, DiCaprio explained that while he knew who De Niro was, he hadn’t studied any of the veteran actor’s movies by then. As a result, he had no issues with walking into the audition and trying to make a mark without feeling intimidated.
Tobey Maguire opened up about his decades-long friendship with Leonardo DiCaprio
This Boy’s Life marked the first collaboration between DiCaprio and Maguire. The duo have been friends since their teenage years, having met while auditioning for the same parts early in their careers. They later appeared together in 2001’s Don’s Plum and 2013’s The Great Gatsby.
In an interview with The Guardian, Maguire spoke about his friendship with DiCaprio despite being in a competitive industry, especially having to compete earlier in their respective careers. However, Maguire admitted that the competitiveness only helped their friendship.
We’re both really competitive people. I think we have a lot of confidence in our own individual paths, so whether it’s with each other, or other friends of ours, we root for them.
Despite Maguire and DiCaprio finding themselves in an extremely competitive environment the duo still managed to remain friends and carve out an identity for themselves.
DiCaprio became a global heartthrob with his role in 1997’s Titanic, which emerged as his highest-grossing film. Meanwhile, Maguire became synonymous with the role of Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the Sam Raimi-directed trilogy with rumors circulating that the actor will be back for more appearances as the iconic superhero in the future.
This Boy’s Life is streaming on Disney+.
