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The 2000 role that would have been “very bad for everyone involved” if Leonardo DiCaprio played it
Leonardo DiCaprio was announced in 1998 as the lead in *American Psycho*, despite director Mary Harron’s opposition. She insisted that Christian Bale was right for Patrick Bateman and refused to make the film with DiCaprio, a dispute that led to her dismissal before she was eventually rehired.
Harron argued that DiCaprio’s star status after *Titanic* would have raised the budget and made audiences’ expectations harder to manage. She also thought he was too young and would be miscast, risking a film that felt offensive rather than disturbing. The expensive version collapsed, and Bale remained attached, preparing for the role for nine months.
In short
- Harron opposed casting DiCaprio in *American Psycho*.
- She believed his fame would inflate the budget and distort the film.
- Bale ultimately played Bateman after Harron was rehired.