He’s one of the most recognizable names in the world, but when it comes to little-known facts about Leo, a lot of people come up short.
This makes sense, considering the fact that the A-Lister is known for living an incredibly private life. If he’s not on a yacht with gorgeous models, what else could he be doing??
This list of 10+ interesting facts fans didn’t know should give some insight…
Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the most interesting, well-known, and beloved people in the world of Hollywood.
He is a fantastic actor (who got his Academy Award finally), an environmentalist, and all around just a good human being!
But even though he is super popular, there are a lot of things about him that people don’t know!
So let’s jump into that and learn more about him!
After all, if we’re true fans, it’s fun for us to look deeper into their lives!
1. Leo almost played Max Dennison in *Hocus Pocus*:
The iconic Halloween film would have been a lot different with Leo in it, that much is for sure.
Sadly, though, he turned it down to star in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape .
2. He’s named after famous artist, Leonardo Da Vinci:
“My father tells me that they were on their honeymoon at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, I believe,” Leo shared in an interview with NPR in 2014.
That’s a pretty cool guy to be named after!
“They were looking at a da Vinci painting, and allegedly I started kicking furiously while my mother was pregnant.”
He continued:
“And my father took that as a sign, and I suppose DiCaprio wasn’t that far from da Vinci. And so, my dad, being the artist that he is, said, ‘That’s our boy’s name.'”
3. He’s had *three* near-death experiences:
The first was a Great White shark attack.
“I had a huge fear of sharks, and when I did Blood Diamond in 2006 I actually got stuck in a cage with a great white, which was awesome,” he told Ellen DeGeneres in 2016.
“It was a gigantic great white…”
“They actually said in 30 years this has never happened, but the tuna kind of got stuck on the top of the cage and the great white leapt out and tried to bite it and went into the cage with me.”
“Half of its body was in and out, and I flattened down at the bottom, and it was this far away, and it chomped a few times but I survived it.”
That is so freaking frightening, oh my GOD.
4. The second near-death experience involved a plane:
“I was in business class, and an engine blew up in front of my eyes. I was sitting there looking out at the wing, and the entire wing exploded in a fireball,” he told Wired .
5. Finally, he almost experienced a sky-diving accident:
He told Wired :
“It was a tandem dive. We pulled the first chute. That was knotted up. The gentleman I was with cut it free. We did another free fall for like another five, ten seconds.”
“I didn’t even think about the extra chute, so I thought we were just plummeting to our death. He pulled the second, and that was knotted up too.”
I don’t know about you, but if that was me, I would have just been screaming for my poor life.
“He just kept shaking it and shaking it in midair, as all my friends were, you know, what felt like half a mile above me, and I’m plummeting toward earth. [Laughs.]”
“And he finally unravels it in midair.”
6. He owns a giant pet tortoise:
The Inception actor made a huge commitment when he purchased the 45 pound, seven-year-old tortoise.
That’s because they can live to be 80! Plus, we know how much he loves animals, so this makes sense.
7. Leo’s first agent wanted him to change his name:
His name is one of the most recognizable ones in the world, but back when he was just starting out, his agent had a weird request .
But this is actually not unheard of in Hollywood.
He wanted him to change his name to “Lenny Williams.”
The reason why?
They thought his name was “a little too ethnic.” Which is really rude, if you think about it, but that’s Hollywood for you.
8. A woman slashed Leo’s face at a party in 2005:
Aretha Wilson, 40, ended up going to prison for two years because of it.
As for Leo, his pretty mug had to get 17 stitches in his face and ear.
9. He’s incredibly generous:
In addition to recently launching a coronavirus relief fund, he’s given millions to help the environment.
For instance, he gave $3 million to save ocean wildlife in 2014. He loves giving his money to good causes.
10. Leo is older than his current girlfriend’s mother:
The 45-year-old is currently dating 22-year-old Camila Morrone.
If that’s not weird enough to some people, get this: he’s actually one year older than her mother! But Camila is very tired of hearing people’s comments about it.
“I just read some of the comments on my Instagram,” she said in an Instagram video.
“And, my god, people are so mean and full of anger with people they know nothing about.”
“I guess I just hope on this Friday that people learn to live with a little less hatred and place their time and interest elsewhere because living without hatred feels pretty good.”
Personally, I’m really happy she said something! People need to leave her alone!
11. He prepared for his drugged-out scene in the *Wolf of Wall Street* by watching this viral video:
“It’s called The Drunkest [Guy] in the World. It’s a man trying to get a beer, but his body doesn’t quite [work]. That was a huge inspiration to me,” the star revealed .
12. He gave $3 million to Nepal tigers in 2013:
He’s a friend to the environment — and to animals.
The actor made the donation to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) through his charitable foundation. Save the animals, people! They’re important.
In a statement, he said that he’s “hopeful” the money will help “exceed the goal” of doubling Nepal’s tiger population.
If all goes well, his money will help increase the number of this endangered species by 2022.
I seriously hope that this happens.
13. He once saved a man who had fallen overboard:
Leo and his crew were just minding their own business, vacationing on a yacht near St. Barts, when they heard that a man had drunkenly fallen overboard from a Club Med yacht.
“Leo and his friends and their boat captain decided to join the search and their efforts resulted in helping save a man’s life,” a source told *People*.
Leo and his crew eventually found him.
This ended up happening just one hour before sunset and a huge storm came in.
14. His *Titanic* haircut got 28 barbers in Afganistan arrested:
The Taliban militia went after these barbers for “popularising anti-Islamic western hairstyles.”
This “foreign haircut” ended up being completely banned. How freaking wild is that? I can’t believe it!
15. DiCaprio purchased an island called Blackadore Caye, and turned it into an eco-friendly place:
According to the New York Times , Blackadore Caye “will feature the trappings of many luxury resorts, with sprawling villas, infinity pools and stunning sunset views.”
“The main focus is to do something that will change the world,” DiCaprio said.
“I couldn’t have gone to Belize and built on an island and done something like this, if it weren’t for the idea that it could be groundbreaking in the environmental movement.”
“I believe that it will be an incredible private island that will set the mark for all future island developments.”
“My goal was always the fact that I wanted to create something not just environmental, but restorative. A showcase for what is possible.”
16. Leonardo DiCaprio can actually speak fluent German:
Which is a pretty amazing thing! Not everyone can pick up languages so easily, and German isn’t exactly an easy one to learn.
So that takes a lot of work! Good for him.
Are there any interesting facts that you know about Leonardo DiCaprio that you want to share?
If you have any, let us know what they are below in the comments!
Or, let us know what your favorite Leo fact is!
