Leonardo DiCaprio is known for taking extreme measures to prepare for his movies. While the Hollywood star is best known as a dramatic actor, he did his best when it came to working under genres like mystery, thriller, and action drama. And he explored the latter while working with Alejandro G. Iñárritu on the 2015 action drama film, The Revenant. Iñárritu wanted DiCaprio as the lead star in his film.
While filming in freezing cold Canada and Argentina was not easy for the whole cast of the film, Iñárritu was seriously concerned for the Titanic star when he decided to eat a raw Bison liver. Not just the director, DiCaprio himself has described eating the raw Bison liver as the most disgusting thing he has ever done for a film.
While filming in freezing cold Canada and Argentina was not easy for the whole cast of the film, Iñárritu was seriously concerned for the Titanic star when he decided to eat a raw Bison liver. Not just the director, DiCaprio himself has described eating the raw Bison liver as the most disgusting thing he has ever done for a film.
Leonardo DiCaprio Did the Worst Thing in The Revenant
For his 2015 action drama film, The Revenant, Leonardo DiCaprio teamed up with the Mexican filmmaker, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, and stars like Tom Hardy and Will Poulter. The film, based on Michael Punke’s 2002 novel of the same name, follows Hugh Glass, a 19th-century explorer who must journey into the wilderness to avenge his son’s death.
The actor has shared that he had to endure “freezing cold and possible hypothermia” while filming as he was required to dive into frozen rivers and sleep on animal carcasses. However, there was one thing that he considers the worst of all.
During his interview with Chris Van Vliet, the Inception star admitted to eating raw Bison liver for the film. He shared that originally he was required to eat a fake liver, but it did not look real. DiCaprio said, “I was sitting there eating a big piece of Play-Doh.”
He shared that one of his co-stars, Arthur Redcloud, a native American actor, was “actually eating a Bison liver for hours at a time.” So instead of eating the “giant gelatinous bloody jello pancake,” DiCaprio went for the real thing. And the decision did bring some genuine reactions to eating a raw Bison liver for the first time.
During his interview with Yahoo!, the Shutter Island star said that it was an ” instinctive reaction” and that is the reason the director, Alejandro G. Iñárritu decided to keep it in the film. His dedication to his character and the film resulted well for The Revenant star and he won his first Academy Award for his performance in the film.
Alejandro G. Iñárritu Was Concerned About Leonardo DiCaprio
The Mexican filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu was concerned for Leonardo DiCaprio When he decided to eat a raw Bison liver for the film. He was worried that eating the raw Bison liver could have made him sick.
But he was beaming at how that one decision enhanced The Aviator star’s performance to an immense level. “Without it, he may not have gotten to the truth,” Iñárritu said during his interview with Variety. During his interviews, he also shared that he always wanted to work alongside him as he is a “big fan of his since his first film.”
He praised his performance in the 1993 film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and said that DiCaprio was the perfect choice for The Revenant. “He was very excited and committed to it. I’m so thrilled because I got to witness his magic work,” Iñárritu shared.
The Revenant went on to receive 12 nominations at the 88th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, and Best Supporting Actor for Tom Hardy. DiCaprio won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in the film.
The Revenant is available to stream on HBO Max.
