How Sharon Stone Once Saved Leonardo DiCaprio’s Breakout Role

Once upon a time in Hollywood, Leonardo DiCaprio needed a titanic favor. When a production studio wasn’t impressed with his work, Sharon Stone insisted on working with him even though she had to pay him salary from her own pocket.

Leo auditioned for the movie where Sharon was starring, but the studio didn’t like him.

In Sharon Stone’s memoir titled The Beauty of Living Twice, the actress shares a challenging experience from the casting of The Quick and the Dead. She reveals that she personally covered Leonardo DiCaprio’s salary for the role because the studio was reluctant to hire him.

In the 1995 western film, DiCaprio, aged 21 at that time, portrays a spirited character named The Kid, who forms a bond with Stone’s character, Ellen, after she relocates to a rural town in the Old West.

As a co-producer of the film, Stone mentioned in her memoir, that they auditioned numerous teenagers for the role. She recounted, “This kid named Leonardo DiCaprio was the only one who nailed the audition, in my opinion: he was the only one who came in and cried, begging his father to love him as he died in the scene.” She further added, “The studio said if I wanted him so much, I could pay him out of my own salary. So I did.”

This situation has put Stone into producing.

This interaction with the studio, along with her decision to pay DiCaprio herself, motivated Stone to venture into producing, allowing her to advocate for a true talent.

“Getting a producer credit as an actress is often thought of in my business as a ‘vanity deal,’ meaning they pay you for the job but stay out of the way,” Stone explained in her memoir. “I won’t accept a vanity deal and let them know that upfront. This is illegal, I say, and I like to work within the law. That gets a lot of silence and not a lot of joy on the other end.”

DiCaprio always thanked Stone for her gesture.

Even after three decades, DiCaprio acknowledges his gratitude to Sharon Stone. In his recent interview, the actor expressed his appreciation for Stone’s generosity again, “I’ve thanked her many times. I don’t know if I sent her an actual, physical thank-you gift, but I cannot thank her enough.”

Describing Stone as “amazing,” DiCaprio further highlighted her support, mentioning that she “did that with myself and Russell Crowe at the time.”

Leonardo DiCaprio is also known for his generosity. The actor established his own foundation in 1998 at the age of 24, focusing on environmental protection. Furthermore, DiCaprio contributed $5 million towards combating fires in the Amazonian forests.