Leonardo DiCaprio came close to starring in American Psycho, and it would have changed the trajectory of his career, the film's legacy, and even the careers of other actors. Back in 2000, American Psycho was a massively controversial film, mostly due to its subject matter, and that made casting its lead, Patrick Bateman, particularly tricky. Based on Bret Easton Ellis' novel of the same name, American Psycho follows a murderous investment banker - Bateman - as he engages in numerous acts of horrific violence, hiding his double life from those around him.
Ultimately, Christian Bale was cast in the lead role. Bale's performance in American Psycho as Patrick Bateman has since become one of the most iconic turns in modern cinema, and the film's cult status (and meme culture relevance) has made it a massively important film within pop culture. However, the original novel's author actually considered American Psycho to be unfilmable, and, indeed, the subject matter was cause for concern for the studio. As a result, the casting of relative unknown Christian Bale was cast into doubt, with other more bankable actors considered to play Bateman.
One such actor was Leonardo DiCaprio. DiCaprio was attached at one point in production but eventually dropped out of the project in order to star in Danny Boyle's The Beach. However, had American Psycho, his career would likely have looked very different, as would Christian Bale's. This would have been due to the nature of American Psycho and the immediate backlash to it, but also, DiCaprio's creative vision for the character of Patrick Bateman would ultimately have hurt the finished film.
How DiCaprio's Patrick Bateman Would Have Been Different
Leonardo DiCaprio's attachment to American Psycho reporting saw him request rewrites that would have refocused the story in numerous small ways. DiCaprio allegedly wanted the film to focus on more psychological ideas, taking it away from the satire written into writer Mary Harron's version of the script and giving it a more traditional thriller feel. Though this may have made American Psycho more palatable to a general audience, it would have undermined the story and what drove Patrick Bateman's character.
DiCaprio's intended approach may have still allowed for American Psycho to explore themes of identity, but the character of Patrick Bateman would have been thoroughly transformed by the change. Instead of the larger-than-life and subtly hilarious characterization of Bale's version, DiCaprio's would likely have been a more measured exploration of the duality of the character. Though the differences between DiCaprio's version of Patrick Bateman and Bale's would likely have been subtle, the different approach DiCaprio wanted to take would have changed the subtext of the entire film.
DiCaprio Would Have Changed American Psycho's Director
Another way in which Leonardo DiCaprio's casting would have massively changed American Psycho is that he had a shortlist of approved directors. The director that was attached at the same time as DiCaprio was Oliver Stone, who was reportedly on board with the changes to the script that DiCaprio was pushing for. Had DiCaprio been cast as American Psycho's Patrick Bateman, Oliver Stone would have directed the film instead of Mary Harron, and his vision would undoubtedly have been different from hers.
Stone's films often focus on controversial political issues, and the shift of focus to a more psychological aspect of American Psycho could have allowed for this. It's possible that Stone's version of the film would have forgone satire entirely for the purpose of an examination of Bateman's dual nature with the aim of commenting on the political issues of the time - extreme violence, in particular, was a massive talking point of the day after the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, and this is exactly the sort of controversial topic that Stone could have touched upon in his alternate version of American Psycho.
DiCaprio's Bateman Would Have Changed American Psycho's Legacy
Even among the many excellent horror movies released in the year 2000, American Psycho continues to stand out two decades later, thanks mostly to its deeply ingrained satire and the shock value of its violent scenes. The alternate approach requested by DiCaprio would have altered the film's general tone and its overall message, and that's something that would also have changed audiences' perception of American Psycho. As it stands, American Psycho remains a stand-out piece of cinema due to its nuance and its more shocking elements, but had it contained less satire, this would likely not have been the case.
How Leonardo DiCaprio's Career Would Have Changed
As American Psycho was such a massively controversial novel, the film adaptation was also tipped as a potential career-killer. This likely contributed to DiCaprio's apprehension about playing Bateman as Mary Harron had originally intended, and it was also the reason for Lionsgate wanting a better-known star such as DiCaprio to play Bateman. Patrick Bateman's violent murders were naturally a cause for concern. In reality, American Psycho did lead to a career slump for eventual star Christian Bale. Had DiCaprio played Bateman, it's only logical to assume that he would have received the same treatment, as playing the role of a violent psychopath so early in his career would have redefined his image.
At the time, Leonardo DiCaprio was a rising, fresh-faced talent widely considered to be the biggest movie star of the day. However, his clean-cut image would have been significantly tainted by the role of Patrick Bateman, and that could have led to a slump in his career in the years that followed. Though Leonardo DiCaprio has proven himself to be one of the most versatile actors of his generation, American Psycho very well could have hindered his career significantly.
Christian Bale's Career Would Also Look Different
Additionally, the career of Christian Bale may well have taken a hit by not starring in American Psycho. Though the film did cause something of a career slump, it's widely considered to be his breakout role, and it proved his talent as a serious actor, as well as remaining one of his most memorable performances. Ultimately, had DiCaprio played the role of Bateman instead, Bale's career would have been set on an entirely different path.
American Psycho was Bale's first major leading role, and it helped him transform his image from that of a relative unknown into an actor capable of taking on complex and incredibly nuanced roles. In fact, American Psycho helped Christian Bale secure roles in The Machinist and even Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, so without that credit to his name, his later success may not have happened. Though the idea of Leonardo DiCaprio playing Patrick Bateman in American Psycho is certainly interesting, it would seem that Bale's casting was ultimately for the best.
