American Psycho almost starred Leonardo DiCaprio as Patrick Bateman

It’s hard to think of Patrick Bateman being played by anyone other than the brilliant Christian Bale. Believe it or not, another A-List celebrity came close to landing the iconic role created by American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis: Leonardo DiCaprio.

Following the massive success of Titanic, DiCaprio became one of the most sought-after names in Hollywood.

Feminist author and journalist Gloria Steinem reportedly talked Leonardo DiCaprio out of starring in American Psycho while the two were at a baseball game together. According to Guinevere Turner, who co-wrote the script with director Mary Harron and acted in the film, Steinem made a strong statement to walk DiCaprio off the plank.

“Please don’t do this movie. Coming off of Titanic, there is an entire planet full of 13-year-old girls waiting to see what you do next, and this is going to be a movie that has horrible violence toward women.”

American Psycho producer Edward R. Pressman confirmed this story at a live event that was part of the 2019 edition of the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal. Pressman was honoured with the Fantasia Lifetime Achievement Award at the festival.

Instead of American Psycho, Leonardo DiCaprio opted to star in The Beach. The film sparked its own controversy, due to the deteriorating environment around its filming location.

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