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Leonardo DiCaprio issued a warning to young actors as he explained why he turned down big paydays at the start of his storied career.
DiCaprio, 51, claimed overexposure can be damaging to an aspiring actor looking to make it big in Hollywood.
“The thing that I could say more than anything is that if you love this profession, if you love being an actor, you have to realize that it’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint,” the “Titanic” star told Deadline. “And that’s not to say, ‘Oh, these are all pivotal choices. Don’t try something commercial. Don’t do this too early.’ It’s about the idea of looking at your career 20, 30, 40, 50 years from now, and putting those building blocks together to last.”
“And maybe overexposure could be damaging,” he added. “I think, if anything, I had somewhat of an instinct early on about overexposure. Granted, it was a different time. It was a time where I watched actors that kind of disappeared their personal life, and you didn’t know much about them. It’s much different now with social media. But I didn’t get to know much about them except what I saw on screen.”
LEONARDO DICAPRIO IS ‘SLOWING DOWN A BIT’ IN HIS NEW CAREER PHASE AFTER DECADES IN HOLLYWOOD
Leonardo DiCaprio warned aspiring actors about the dangers of overexposure, urging them to take the long-view in building a lasting Hollywood career. (Antony Jones/Getty Images for Warner Bros.)
DiCaprio noted that the times have changed due to social media, but watching other actors slowly build a strong body of work influenced his own career decisions.
“I got to see them build a body of great work over time, I wasn’t inundated with a massive explosion of too many films by them in one or two years,” he continued. “That isn’t to say you shouldn’t take the work when it’s given to you, but it’s the idea of doling it out, or maybe just taking those films that have great supporting characters that are interesting and making your mark in the industry.”
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Leonardo DiCaprio sits in a bathtub while Johnny Depp watches in a scene from the film “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.” (Paramount/Getty Images)
DiCaprio famously turned down a role in “Hocus Pocus,” which was the most he would have ever been paid at the time. He instead took the role in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” earning him his first Oscar nomination. The actor told Deadline the turning point in his career was “Titanic,” which led to him being able to choose his own films.
“I was very fortunate and very lucky, very early on,” he explained to the outlet. “And like I said with ‘Titanic,’ that was the real changing point, when I got to choose my own films. But until then, I did a lot of independent movies. I just went for the character that I thought was most interesting, and something that I could sink my teeth into.”
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Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet starred together in “The Titanic.” ( CBS via Getty Images)
Over the span of his career, DiCaprio has never been one to lose momentum. Now, when it comes to picking and choosing projects, the Oscar-winning actor seems to have shifted his perspective.
“I’m slowing down a bit,” DiCaprio told People of what his next “chapter” looks like during the Hollywood premiere of his latest movie, “One Battle After Another.”
“When these opportunities come up, I mean, I can’t say no,” he said of working with writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson on the upcoming comedy. “I think anytime would’ve been the right time, to be honest. Ever since I met Paul early on and I saw ‘Boogie Nights,’ I’ve been an obsessive fan of his work, watched all his movies. His films ruminate in my mind, and they’re conversation pieces with my friends, they last.”
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Leonardo DiCaprio attends the “One Battle After Another” premiere on Sept. 8. (David Jon/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Pictures)
“Awards can come and go,” he added. “Accolades, box office can come and go, but those pieces of art, that you still talk about and still think about and still question. Those are the films that we strive for as an actor. And Paul is the dude of our generation that does them.”
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Fox News Digital’s Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.