Feminism is to blame: how Leonardo DiCaprio lost his role in the movie “American Psycho”

After buying the film rights, the project was in limbo for several years. As a result, Mary Harron, a representative of independent cinema, was chosen as the director. And the main role, investment banker and murderer Patrick Bateman, was named Christian Bale. However, when Lionsgate joined the production, the producers decided they needed a bigger name on the posters.

When the search for a new star began, Lionsgate decided to turn to Leonardo DiCaprio, who had recently finished filming Titanic and had become a major movie star of the time. The actor was offered $20 million for the role in the film. Leo was interested, but Harron thought the actor was not the right type for the role and believed the film would have “the wrong audience” if he played the lead, apparently referring to the enthusiastic female fans.

But Lionsgate didn’t listen to Harron, instead insisting on DiCaprio’s candidacy and reportedly allowing the actor to create his own short list of potential directors to replace the stubborn Mary.

Oliver Stone eventually agreed to direct. But soon after, DiCaprio and Stone dropped out, while Bale and Harron returned. Why did Leo suddenly turn down a role that seemed so attractive to him not so long ago? It was all about a woman – the famous feminist Gloria Steinem, who managed to dissuade the young actor from the role.

Steinem was a vocal opponent of both the book and the film due to the amount of violence against the female characters. It is reported that Steinem once invited DiCaprio to a football game and told him that participating in this film would be bad for his career. Leo reportedly took it to heart and dropped out of the film team shortly thereafter.

But Steinem herself, ironically, ended up indirectly associated with the painting. In 2000, the same year that the film adaptation of American Psycho was released, he married businessman and eco-activist David Bale, the father of Christian Bale, who eventually landed the lead role in the film.

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