Kaylah Walton
Leonardo DiCaprio has almost every prestigious acting award under his belt. His iconic role in Titanic set him on the path to becoming a Hollywood favorite. After spending years in the film industry, there are only a few things that manage to surprise him, yet in a recent project, he turned down a significant aspect of his character.
In the film ‘Don’t Look Up’, DiCaprio starred alongside Meryl Streep. As a budding actor, he looked up to her, especially since she was a leading figure in cinema at the time. Consequently, he chose not to see her nude in the Netflix production.
DiCaprio and Streep: navigating nudity with an idol
While reviewing the script, DiCaprio’s strong feelings about the scene led him to ask director Adam McKay if it was essential. “Leo had an issue with it. He holds Meryl in such high regard, viewing her as an iconic figure in film history,” McKay shared with The Guardian.
“He was uncomfortable with her showing a tattoo on her lower back while being nude for a brief moment. DiCaprio questioned whether that depiction was necessary. I explained, ‘It’s not Meryl Streep; it’s President Orlean.’ In the end, the scene DiCaprio hesitated about was included in the final version of the film.
Interestingly, this wasn’t their first collaboration. DiCaprio and Meryl Streep had previously acted together in ‘Marvin’s Room’ back in the 90s, without facing such intimate scenes.
