Corey Feldman says he was initially solid within the position that Leonardo DiCaprio performed within the 1993 movie What’s Consuming Gilbert Grape, however was fired after Johnny Depp advised a producer that he didn’t need to work with a “junkie.”
As a visitor on the newest episode of Billy Corgan’s new podcast The Magnificent Others, Feldman advised the Smashing Pumpkins frontman that he landed the position of Arnie Grape earlier than Depp was solid as older brother Gilbert Grape.
“I by no means noticed the movie as a result of I’m nonetheless bitter,” Feldman advised Corgan. “Bitter leaf in that one. However sure, I used to be initially solid for that position.”
The actor-singer continued, “Johnny Depp … was solid after I used to be, and apparently whispered into the producer’s ear that he wasn’t keen on me. He stated I used to be a junkie and that he didn’t work with junkies. That is the primary time I’m ever telling this story, so I’m certain I’m gonna get hung by this one.”
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Feldman, who did battle drug habit in his teen years, insisted he was clear and sober when he acquired the position. “I had simply gotten out of rehab,” he recalled. “I had turned my life round. In reality, was making an attempt to assist [late actor] River [Phoenix] on the time, who [Depp] was operating with on the time, as everyone knows.”
He surmised that dropping the half modified his profession trajectory. “As you possibly can think about, there was a little bit of a thorn within the aspect on that one,” Feldman added. “And, had I not been pushed out and executed that position, who is aware of what would have occurred from that time ahead … There was a bitter tea there, however that stated, you don’t hold on these, you get previous ‘em.”
DiCaprio acquired an Oscar nomination Greatest Supporting Actor for the position, and went on to change into considered one of Hollywood’s main actors. It apparently wasn’t the one position that DiCaprio and Feldman have been each up for, because the latter additionally advised Corgan that he auditioned for Titanic.
“Satirically, only a couple years later, I additionally was up for Titanic,” Feldman remembered. “So there was sort of a double banger with Leo. However that was OK, as a result of that one I wasn’t as shut. I used to be up for it, I learn for it, I do know that I used to be within the competition someplace.”
One other high-profile position Feldman says he misplaced out on was that of Samwise Gamgee within the Lord of the Rings franchise. That position went to Feldman’s Goonies co-star Sean Astin.
“I couldn’t have gained the burden [for the role],” Feldman conceded about dropping out to Astin. “So, I’ll give him that. He did an incredible job aesthetically. As a result of so as to add that weight, it’s one thing I can not bodily do.”
Watch Corey Feldman’s look on Billy Corgan’s The Magnificent Others podcast under. The dialog about What’s Consuming Gilbert Grape begins across the 10-minute mark.