Leonardo DiCaprio’s first movie role was 33 years ago, and it is incredibly different from every other film he’s made since then. Following his rise to fame with Titanic’s release in 1997, DiCaprio became one of Hollywood’s biggest and most recognizable stars. It was this stature that made him one of the most sought-after actors in the business, bringing collaborations with Danny Boyle and Steven Spielberg and a long-running partnership with Martin Scorsese shortly thereafter. This fame only gave Leonardo DiCaprio more freedom to be selective about what movies he does.

There is little debate that DiCaprio’s strategy has worked incredibly well for his career. He finally won his first Oscar in 2016 for The Revenant following four previous nominations, and he earned another nom in 2020 for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. DiCaprio has maintained his status as a major box office draw through films like The Wolf of Wall Street and Inception, while he has even brought his star power to streamers for Don’t Look Up and Killers of the Flower Moon. This impeccable career is all the more outstanding considering Leonardo DiCaprio’s movies avoid sequels.

Critters 3 Is The Only Movie Sequel Leonardo DiCaprio Has Ever Been In

The 1991 Movie Was Leonardo DiCaprio’s First Movie Role

Leonardo DiCaprio got his start in acting in 1979, but it was not until 1991 that he landed his first movie role. He played Josh in Critters 3, which was made following two successful prior entries. DiCaprio’s role is supporting in the film and not an obvious sign that he would earn his first Oscar nomination just two years later. But what is most special about Critters 3 among Leonardo DiCaprio’s movies is that it is the only sequel he has ever been in.

He’s been in remakes, like Romeo + Juliet, or movies that seemed like potential franchise starters, like Inception, but DiCaprio has never been part of another sequel since 1991. While this means that he has appeared in a single movie sequel over the course of his career, the actor still has not made any sequels to his own movies. This would not have been the case, though, if DiCaprio landed a few different roles he was considered for, such as Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels, Peter Parker in James Cameron’s canceled Spider-Man, or Robin in Batman Forever.

Why Leonardo DiCaprio Has Never Done A Sequel To One Of His Movies

His Movies Rarely Leave Room For A Sequel

The lack of sequels in Leonardo DiCaprio’s filmography is not driven by the actor’s refusal to do them. In a 2015 interview with Variety, he explained that it has mostly come down to the types of projects he makes. When asked about not making any sequels or franchises, he said, “Every movie that I’ve done has been its own piece of individual art.” It is also difficult for sequels to emerge when Leonardo DiCaprio dies in so many movies, ruling out any chance of him returning, or due to where the true story of his characters end.

This does leave the door open for Leonardo DiCaprio to make sequels at some point in his career. He elaborated on his thoughts by saying, “That’s not to say I wouldn’t do something that has sequels… It just hasn’t happened.” The actor cited The Godfather and The Godfather Part II as an example of how amazing sequels can be when done correctly. So, all it could take for Leonardo DiCaprio to finally make a sequel to one of his movies is for it to be on par with what is considered one of the greatest movies of all time.