"I Was Too Old for it”. 13 Years before Tarantino's Film, Brad Pitt Turned Down a Role alongside Leonardo DiCaprio
Both Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio played in Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. However, they could have met together 13 years earlier, on Martin Scorsese’s film set, but one of the actors decided to turn down the role for a surprising reason.
Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio are Hollywood’s biggest stars. Their names in a cast guarantee a film's success. These two met on the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood set – a move that is Quentin Tarantino's Oscar-winning masterpiece. However, the actors almost worked together 13 years earlier in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed.
In 2003, Brad Pitt acquired the rights to remake Chinese the film Infernal Affairs. Initially, the plan was to him and Leonardo DiCaprio take the leads. However, the Pitt turned down the role, feeling he was "too old" for it (vide Interview).
Once Scorsese became involved, I thought it would be better if they were younger guys that were just starting their lives, guys coming out of the academy, guys who were hungry. I thought I was too old for it.
Brad Pitt's decision may be surprising to some, but he is indeed 11 years older than Leonardo DiCaprio. Ultimately, the role meant for Meet Joe Black actor went to Matt Damon. However, Pitt remained attached to the project as a producer. The Departed won four Oscars: for Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay and Editing.
The action is set in South Boston, where the police are battling organized crime. Young policeman Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is tasked with infiltrating the mafia ruled by Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) to help break up the group. Things are complicated by Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), who also leads a double life.
