Kenny Ortega, who directed 1993’s Hocus Pocus, recalls sharing a sandwich with Leonardo DiCaprio when he came in to audition for the role of Max.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Ortega recalled the time DiCaprio auditioned to play Max in Hocus Pocus. Even though everyone was aware DiCaprio wasn’t going to get the part given his other commitments, Ortega sat down and conversed with him for a time.
Ortega explained, ”[My casting team] called me up and said, ‘We’re sending someone in, but you can’t have him.’ They said, ‘We want you to know who he is, we want you to meet him, he’s agreed to come in to meet you, but he can’t do the role. He’s being offered a movie with [Robert] De Niro and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.’
Leonardo DiCaprio felt bad about auditioning for Hocus Pocus
“He came in, and he was just amazing — so extraordinary and unique — he came and he was stressed. He said, ‘I feel bad that I’m here because I can’t do this, because I’m really focused on these other things,’ and I said, ‘Understandably.’ We shared a sandwich together. He was super cool. When he walked out, I called my casting agents and I said, ‘You’re murdering me, here.’”
Ortega didn’t ask DiCaprio to actually read Max’s lines during the audition, as he said just speaking with the young actor was enough to make him realize he was “special.”
“It was so clear to me that this guy was so special, but I have to say, when Omri [Katz] came in, there was something there that was just so perfect and that I feel, to this day, he delivered all that I could’ve hoped for in that role,” Ortega continued. “He was adorable.”
Hocus Pocus is currently streaming on Disney+. DiCaprio, meanwhile, is starring in Martin Scorsese’s new movie, Killers of the Flower Moon, which begins playing in theaters tonight, October 19, 2023.
