Without a doubt, Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the greatest acting talents working in Hollywood today. Many moviegoers may have first noticed him in James Cameron’s 1998 blockbuster hit “Titanic,” but even that film didn’t do much to foreshadow the magnificent career he would have. Whereas many actors would have gone the more mainstream and predictable route following a movie like “Titanic,” Leo did not.

“A lot of people may look at what I’ve done career-wise and say that there was a period in which I tried to possibly become a movie star, per se, [and] tried to go for much bigger pictures,” the actor told Short List.

“The truth of the matter is, there was a period of time, very early on, when I started watching films and having heroes in the industry, actor-wise. But I feel I’ve been consistent about my dreams and what I wanted to be as an actor.”

The curation of his roles has definitely played a huge part in shaping the career of the actor, and in the interview, DiCaprio reveals just how much his reticence to take on big projects early on helped him along the way.

Believe it or not, before his stint in “Titanic” (and after his part in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?”), the actor was up for the role of Robin in Joel Schumacher’s 1995 film “Batman Forever.” Well, sort of.

“I never screen-tested. I had a meeting with Joel Schumacher. It was just one meeting and, no, I didn’t end up doing it… I don’t think [I wanted the role] (laughs). As I recall I took the meeting, but didn’t want to play the role. Joel Schumacher is a very talented director but I don’t think I was ready for anything like that.”

This wouldn’t be the last time the actor dodged a bullet. In a similar situation as with Schumacher, DiCaprio had a meeting with George Lucas about the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy, and like with Schumacher, he passed.

“Again, just didn’t feel ready to take that dive. At that point,” he said.

The same thing happened with the “Spider-Man” movies (before Raimi was attached). He was contacted for the role of Peter Parker, but at that point, he just didn’t feel up to the task.

Considering DiCaprio’s long resume of quality actor-centric pictures, one has to wonder if he’ll ever take the dive and do something like, oh say, a superhero movie.

“You never know. You never know. They’re getting better and better as far as complex characters in these movies. I haven’t yet. But no, I don’t rule out anything.” 

Spoken like a true working actor.

What do you think of DiCaprio opting out of all those movies? Were these career-making decisions, or do you believe he could have elevated a role like Anakin Skywalker to a whole new level? Let us know your thoughts down below!

Leonardo DiCaprio’s latestfilm, “The Revenant” has its wide release on January 8, 2016.

SOURCE: Short List