Sharon Stone Once Paid Leonardo DiCaprio's Salary After Studio Rejected

Sharon Stone holds a lifelong debt of gratitude to Leonardo DiCaprio. When a studio hesitated to hire him, Stone took extraordinary measures to secure his involvement in the film.

Leonardo DiCaprio disclosed that Sharon Stone took extraordinary measures to ensure his involvement in the 1995 film The Quick and the Dead when the studio initially declined to cast him. The actor mentioned expressing gratitude to Stone multiple times for her efforts in making him part of Sam Raimi’s Western drama.

Sharon Stone Foots Leonardo DiCaprio's Salary as Studio Rejects His Hiring

During a conversation with E! News, DiCaprio expressed immense gratitude towards Sharon Stone for championing him during the casting of the 1995 film The Quick and the Dead. DiCaprio acknowledged Stone's advocacy for fellow actors and her pivotal role in getting him cast in the movie, emphasising his repeated expressions of gratitude towards her for her efforts.

She said, ‘These are the two actors I want to work with. It’s incredible. She’s been a huge champion of cinema and giving other actors opportunities, so I’m very thankful. 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.

Sharon Stone, in her memoir The Beauty of Living Twice, recounted a similar incident, detailing how DiCaprio's audition stood out and how she paid his salary out of her own earnings when the studio hesitated to cast him.

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... The studio said if I wanted him so much, I could pay him out of my own salary. So I did.

The Quick and the Dead, where DiCaprio starred, preceded his monumental career shift with Titanic. Recently, DiCaprio appeared in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, alongside Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone, which premiered in theatres on October 20th.

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