Leonardo DiCaprio’s Bold Career Move (Photo Credit – Facebook)
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Imagine this: Leonardo DiCaprio lighting the black flame candle in Hocus Pocus. But that almost happened. DiCaprio, fresh off Growing Pains and not yet the Oscar-winning legend we know today, was considered for the role of Max Dennison, the sarcastic teen at the center of the witchy chaos in Salem. So, what made him turn down the role of a lifetime for a Halloween cult classic? The answer? A little movie called What’s Eating Gilbert Grape—and some serious guts.
Director Kenny Ortega remembered when DiCaprio walked into the room like yesterday. “The [casting] ladies called me up, and they said, ‘We’re sending you an actor today, but he’s not available, but you’re going to fall in love with him, but you can’t have him,'” Ortega laughed.
Can you even imagine the tease? They said, “You need to see this guy because he’ll inspire you, and if nothing else, he’ll help you find the right guy to play Max.” So in walked DiCaprio, and Ortega was done for. He was “completely and absolutely” smitten, describing DiCaprio as “the most sincere and most centered and a wild child simultaneously.” Talk about a memorable first impression.
But DiCaprio wasn’t just auditioning for Hocus Pocus. At the time, he was juggling two other significant projects that made him a household name. One was This Boy’s Life, a biographical drama with Robert De Niro, and the other? What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, where DiCaprio would play Arnie, a role that’d change everything. And here’s the kicker: he turned down Hocus Pocus for the chance to go big or go home.
In a 2014 interview with Variety, DiCaprio admitted, “I was offered more money than I ever dreamed of for Hocus Pocus,” but he stuck to his guns despite that hefty paycheck. “You live in an environment where you’re influenced by people telling you to make a lot of money and strike while the iron’s hot.” But DiCaprio wasn’t swayed. Instead, he went for the indie flicks that would eventually earn him an Academy Award nomination. No big deal, right?
While Ortega may have felt the sting of losing DiCaprio to more significant projects, he still credits the actor with helping him find the perfect Max. “Meeting him awakened me to the kind of spirit, fun, and sincerity I was looking for in an actor.” Enter Omri Katz, who, according to Ortega, gave the world the Max we know and love. “When Omri Katz came around, I fell in love again, and he became our Max.”
It’s fun to imagine DiCaprio in the role of Max, delivering those iconic one-liners while battling witches, but in the end, DiCaprio’s risk paid off. He wasn’t just lighting candles in Salem—he was lighting up the screen in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, propelling him toward a career that would make Hocus Pocus seem like a mere footnote.
So here we are, 30 years later, still captivated by Katz as Max but also wondering: What if DiCaprio had joined the Sanderson sisters in their magical chaos? Either way, Hocus Pocus became a beloved classic, and DiCaprio went on to rule Hollywood—proof that sometimes, skipping a big payday leads to even bigger things.
