What happened to Leonardo DiCaprio’s Don’s Plum? (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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This unique movie, starring none other than Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire, became infamous for all the wrong reasons. It’s a film you probably never heard of, and there’s a juicy reason why.
The drama kicked off when DiCaprio and Maguire, the darlings of ’90s Hollywood, decided they didn’t want Don’s Plum to see the light of day in North America. It was meant to be a casual project, a “school-like” experiment among friends, but it spiraled into a nightmare. The plot? A raw, unfiltered look at a group of young adults in a diner, throwing around edgy and sexually charged lines.
DiCaprio’s character, Derek, delivered some pretty explicit dialogue. He even hurled a bottle at Amber Benson’s character, and let’s just say, the lines were not what you’d expect from a rising star. Meanwhile, Maguire’s character, Ian, had some unusual sexual habits that made the characters’ interactions even more chaotic.
What started as a fun “love letter” among friends quickly turned into a film they didn’t want anyone—especially American audiences—to see. According to producer Dale Wheatley, Don’s Plum was meant to be a low-key project. “We wanted to create something just for us,” he said. But when it became clear that the film had some serious potential for controversy, the stars’ reactions were anything but chill.
Tensions reached a boiling point when Maguire lost it during a dinner meeting. Over macaroni and tofu wieners, he allegedly screamed, “I want Don’s Plum to burn!” Apparently, Maguire was convinced that Paramount exec Jerry Meadors, along with Wheatley and director R.D. Robb, were ready to turn the press against them.
He fired back with accusations that they were using DiCaprio’s newfound fame to make a buck off the film. At that point, even Leo had enough. “My fucking agents run this town,” he allegedly said, before claiming that the film would never screen at Sundance, no matter what.
And so began the legal battle that would leave Don’s Plum in limbo. After the stars fought to prevent the film’s release, the filmmakers hit back with a lawsuit, demanding $10 million. This led to countersuits, but after much back-and-forth, they settled. The film could only be shown in select European and Japanese markets, and a specific clause prevented any North American release.
Despite the drama, Don’s Plum did make it to the Berlin International Film Festival in 2001. The film got a decent reception, but the legal restrictions meant most audiences in North America could only watch it via bootleg DVDs. In the end, it became one of Hollywood’s most bizarre untold stories—a movie nearly erased from history.
So, why did Hollywood’s golden boys try so hard to bury this project? Was it the raw, edgy content? The fear of tarnishing their squeaky-clean images? Whatever the reason, Don’s Plum remains a fascinating footnote in the careers of DiCaprio and Maguire.
One thing’s for sure: Don’s Plum was a lesson in how a simple project among friends can spiral into chaos—and how two of Hollywood’s brightest stars can try to sweep it all under the rug.
