The one actor Leonardo DiCaprio refused to work with: ‘Over my dead body!’ Leonardo DiCaprio attends the red carpet before the screening of ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ during the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival. Credit: Shutterstock, taniavolobueva

Discover the behind-the-scenes drama of Leonardo DiCaprio’s early career, from casting tensions to iconic roles that shaped his path to Hollywood stardom.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of The Basketball Diaries, the film that thrust a young Leonardo DiCaprio further into the Hollywood spotlight. But behind the scenes, the production wasn’t all smooth sailing – thanks to a clash of egos between two future A-listers.
Long before he was a Titanic heartthrob or an Oscar-winning star, a 19-year-old DiCaprio was carving out a name for himself with carefully chosen roles and a reputation as a consummate professional. By the time The Basketball Diaries came along, he’d already shared the screen with heavyweights like Robert De Niro and earned an Oscar nomination for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?
But when producers floated the idea of casting Mark Wahlberg – still better known then as rapper Marky Mark – Leo was not impressed. According to Wahlberg, DiCaprio’s reaction was blunt: ‘Over my dead body. Marky Mark is not going to be in this damn movie.’

A slam dunk of tension between DiCaprio and Wahlberg
The bad blood wasn’t out of nowhere. Wahlberg later revealed that the friction began during a charity basketball game, where Leo apparently found him ‘a bit of a jerk.’ The fallout from their hoops drama made DiCaprio reluctant to share the screen.

Despite the frosty start, casting director Avy Kaufman pushed for Wahlberg to audition. And when the two actors faced off in a test scene, something clicked. ‘I showed up, did the scene, and looked at him. He looked at me, and they were like, ‘Hmm, this guy’s pretty good,’ Wahlberg recalled in a 2013 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

What happened next could only be described as a Hollywood bromance in the making. DiCaprio and Wahlberg buried the hatchet and even became good pals. Their on-screen chemistry might not have made The Basketball Diaries a box-office smash, but the movie hinted at what was to come for both stars.

Friends – and rivals – in high places
Years later, the duo teamed up again for Martin Scorsese’s 2006 crime masterpiece The Departed. By then, they were both firmly in the Hollywood elite. But even after they patched things up, their careers remained intertwined in unexpected ways.

DiCaprio once admitted that one of his biggest regrets was turning down the lead in Boogie Nights, a role that Wahlberg went on to own. ‘I’m a huge fan of Paul Thomas Anderson now, but at the time, I wasn’t familiar with his work,’ DiCaprio later confessed. “I love that movie.”

For Wahlberg, snagging the part was a major stepping stone, cementing his transition from pop star to serious actor.

From rivals to red carpet legends
Today, the story of how DiCaprio and Wahlberg went from court-side clashes to Hollywood camaraderie is just another chapter in their rise to stardom. As they say, time – and a good Hollywood script – heal all wounds.

Sometimes, a little friction can spark a lifelong friendship.