Leonardo DiCaprio’s Western Role 17 Years Before Django Unchained!

What if Leonardo DiCaprio owes his stellar career to Sharon Stone? It’s quite likely, as after spotting him in “Gilbert Grape,” Stone insisted on casting the young actor as the Kid in the exhilarating western “The Quick and the Dead.” She even went as far as to offer to pay half of his salary to get him on board. DiCaprio has never forgotten this remarkable gesture from Stone, who was both an actress and a producer of the film!

“I would have carried that boy on my back to the set if it had been necessary,” Sharon Stone once said. “I knew he was going to be one of the greatest actors of recent decades. His talent, his gift are extraordinary.” In 1995, just before becoming a global superstar with “Romeo + Juliet” and “Titanic,” Leonardo DiCaprio starred in “The Quick and the Dead,” a genre he would revisit 17 years later with “Django Unchained.”

Directed by Sam Raimi, the man behind the iconic “Evil Dead” and “Spiderman” sagas, “The Quick and the Dead” features John Herod (Gene Hackman), a tyrannical ruler of the small town of Redemption, where a deadly duel tournament is held annually with a prize of $123,000 to the last shooter standing. Historically, Herod has always claimed the prize himself. However, the plot thickens when Ellen (Sharon Stone), a mysterious stranger, decides to enter the competition.

The Late Gene Hackman Shines as the Villain

With “The Quick and the Dead” and its stellar cast including Sharon Stone, Leonardo DiCaprio, Gene Hackman, and Russell Crowe in his first American film, Sam Raimi thoroughly enjoys subverting western tropes. With its humor, stunning sets, creative direction, surprising visual effects, and actors in perfect harmony, the film is thoroughly entertaining!

Why not rediscover this underrated gem that, despite its box office failure, left a significant mark on its director Sam Raimi? You might be in for a pleasant surprise this weekend!

Tonight on Arte at 9 PM

Trailer for “The Quick and the Dead”: