“He was the only one who came in and cried.” Leonardo DiCaprio starred in this western only because his co-star paid his salary
Had it not been for the persistence of another actress, Leonardo DiCaprio would not have starred in Sam Raimi's western. The artist stood up to the studio to have him in the film.
Before Leonardo DiCaprio rose to fame with Romeo + Juliet and Titanic, the actor starred in Sam Raimi's underrated western, although getting him involved in the project proved to be a challenge. This was not the fault of the actor, but of the producers, who were not convinced to invest in a yet unknown artist like DiCaprio was at the time. So how did he end up starring in The Quick and the Dead?
This is due to Sharon Stone, who also starred in the film and took the position of producer of the work, for the first time in her career. The actress had a major influence on the film and on who worked on it. She first persuaded the studio to put Sam Raimi behind the camera, and later led to the casting of Leonardo DiCaprio. Despite the objections of the studio, from which she was told that if she cared so much about the actor, she could pay him herself. And so she did, as she later described in her book The Beauty of Living Twice (via Business Insider).
“Why an unknown, Sharon, why are you always shooting yourself in the foot?” The studio said if I wanted him so much, I could pay him out of my own salary. So I did.
And why did Sharon Stone care so much about the still unknown DiCaprio? The actress explained that he was the only one who convinced her during the auditions. In her opinion, he played his role perfectly, which is why she wanted him to be the one to get it.
This kid named Leonardo DiCaprio was the only one who nailed the audition, in my opinion: he was the only one who came in and cried, begging his father to love him as he died in the scene.
If it weren't for Sharone Stone, The Quick and the Dead would look very different. If it would have been made. And certainly without her, DiCaprio would not have succeeded in starring in this western. Stone was right about him, considering how his career turned out shortly after his participation in The Quick and the Dead, which premiered in 1995.