"It’s a marathon, not a sprint": Leonardo DiCaprio provides advice for young actors, claims “overexposure could be damaging”

Leonardo DiCaprio spoke candidly about his advice to young and upcoming actors during a recent interview with Deadline. The 51-year-old veteran also explained how he put this into practice in his own life during the early days of his illustrious career.

For the uninitiated, DiCaprio had revealed in past interviews that he turned down the 1993 fantasy comedy Hocus Pocus and opted for a low-budget indie film called What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

Directed by Lasse Hallstrom, the coming-of-age film stars Johnny Depp, Mary Steenburgen, John C. Reilly, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Juliette Lewis. The story features a grocery store worker who tries to juggle between work and a dysfunctional family in the fictional town of Endora.

Elaborating on how the decision helped a young Leonardo DiCaprio hone his craft, he said:

"The thing that I could say more than anything is that if you love this profession, if you love being an actor, you have to realize that it’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint. And that’s not to say, “Oh, these are all pivotal choices. Don’t try something commercial. Don’t do this too early."

He continued, opening up about his thoughts on the impact of overexposure on the development of an actor.

"Overexposure could be damaging. I think, if anything, I had somewhat of an instinct early on about overexposure. Granted, it was a different time. It was a time where I watched actors that kind of disappeared their personal life, and you didn’t know much about them. It’s much different now with social media. But I didn’t get to know much about them except what I saw on screen," said DiCaprio.

Leonardo DiCaprio explained how he chose not to be "inundated with a massive explosion of too many films" and advised young actors to choose films that have "great supporting characters" and have the potential to help them make a mark in the industry.

"I think for young actors it is about saying, “I want to be here for a long time. I don’t want to be overexposed.”," concluded the Titanic star.

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Leonardo DiCaprio opens up about turning down Boogie Nights for Titanic

Leonardo DiCaprio - Source: Getty

In a past interview for Esquire magazine, DiCaprio had revealed that turning down Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights was one of the biggest regrets of his professional career. The 51-year-old had to turn down Anderson's offer to be part of James Cameron's blockbuster hit, Titanic.

Opening up about the same, DiCaprio clarified that the statement was made because he was an admirer of Anderson's work. The actor also explained that he would have loved to work on both films in an ideal world. Boogie Nights went on to star Mark Wahlberg in the lead role.

"I don’t think anyone could have done a better job than Mark Wahlberg in that movie, so I said it from the perspective of being just a really sincere fan and then watching the way Paul has progressed as a storyteller with these very esoteric, existential films he’s made since then that keep you thinking. Boogie Nights was the launching pad for a new artist. So, it’s less about that specific film and more about wanting to have worked with Paul," said DiCaprio.

Released in 1997, Boogie Nights is considered one of Anderson's flagship works and went on to win three Academy Awards. In comparison, Titanic was nominated for 14 Academy Awards, winning 11. It also became the first film in history to cross the $1 billion mark at the box office.

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