Although they were born more than ten years apart, Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio had much in common as they surged to global fame in the early 1990s. Crucially, both were Hollywood pin-ups on the rise to superstardom as versatile leading actors, fighting for similar roles and even sharing the screen on one occasion.

In the late 1980s, DiCaprio rose to prominence by appearing in commercials before proving his salient acting talent across several television programmes. His first significant film role came in 1993 when he portrayed Toby Wolff opposite Robert De Niro in the critically acclaimed drama This Boy’s Life.

Also emerging in the ‘80s, Depp took on several minor roles, including an appearance in Oliver Stone’s 1986 Vietnam War drama, Platoon. Later, he garnered notable fame through his more extensive role in the Fox television series 21 Jump Street. However, it was only in 1990, when he first collaborated with Tim Burton in Edward Scissorhands, that he felt he could show his full potential as a character actor.

Depp and DiCaprio converged in the early ‘90s in the set of 1993’s What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. In the family drama, Depp plays the part of Gilbert Grape, who looks after his mentally disabled younger brother Arnie (DiCaprio). Despite on-screen chemistry between the two, off-screen, a brotherly connection was non-existent.

Speaking to Cosmopolitan later, Depp explained that he had been going through a hard time with his split from Winona Ryder while filming What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and it played a part in his rough treatment of DiCaprio on set. “It was a hard time for me, that film, for some reason,” Depp explained. “I don’t know why. I tortured him. I really did.”

It seems that Depp looked to prey upon DiCaprio’s age disadvantage. Depp continued: “He was always talking about these video games, you know? I told you it was kind of a dark period… ‘No, I will not give you a drag of my cigarette while you hide from your mother again, Leo.’”

Despite his rough treatment of the young star on the set of Gilbert Grape, Depp pointed out that he holds DiCaprio in high regard as an actor. “I’d say the absolute truth is that I respect Leo a lot,” Depp asserted. “He worked really hard on that film and spent a lot of time researching. He came to set, and he was ready to work hard, and all his ducks were in a row.”

DiCaprio’s career would continue to bloom throughout the decade, with James Cameron’s landmark historical romance Titanic marking a colossal early career milestone. As it transpires, Depp had been approached for DiCaprio’s role as Jack Dawson, but he turned it down.

Speaking to Howard Stern in 2001, Depp revealed that he declined the role because, at 180 pages, the script was a daunting read. “I laboured through about 15 pages of Titanic,” he admitted.

In a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone, Depp returned to the subject, expressing a degree of regret about not taking on the audacious project, which has now earned a titanic $2.2 billion. After joking about the potential of a Titanic remake filmed entirely from his bathtub, Depp sighed, “That would be great, but Hollywood never takes risks anymore.”

Watch the trailer for Titanic below.