Decades prior to sharing the screen with Leonardo DiCaprio in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Lily Gladstone was one of the many Titanic fans. In the latest issue of People, the star, 37, fondly recalls her passion for the iconic movie, stating, “I loved that movie.”
She reminisces about her early investment in the film, revealing, “It was one of the first things I spent my allowance on. I pre-ordered the double VHS set from Toys ‘R’ Us when that was still around.”
“I remember the Blockbuster commercial, [with store employees] hearing the crowd of young women approaching,” she shared. “[The workers] set the Titanic on the shelf, and then you hear all the young ladies, and they’re like, ‘Uh-oh, here they come.’ ”
Lily Gladstone did not buy a VHS of Titanic for Leonardo Dicaprio
Despite her admiration for “Titanic,” Lily Gladstone made it clear that she wasn’t swept up in Leo-mania. In her own words, “I loved that movie for the film and for Kate Winslet. Leo was great in it because Jack Dawson was great.”
She humorously reflected on her crushes during sixth grade, coinciding with the film’s release for her, saying, “And it’s funny, whenever I had crushes in sixth grade — because the year that it came out for me — I would kind of project my crushes into Jack Dawson. It was never on Jack Dawson.”
‘I had been a fan of Leo long ago before that’
“Titanic” wasn’t Lily Gladstone’s introduction to Leonardo DiCaprio. She shared, “I had been a fan of Leo long before that. My first film that I watched him in was, I can’t remember which one came first, but it was either What’s Eating Gilbert Grape or This Boy’s Life,’” highlighting her admiration for his diverse filmography.
Gladstone and Dicaprio had dinner together
Before shooting “Killers” in 2021, Lily Gladstone immersed herself in DiCaprio and Scorsese films. Reflecting on the experience, she mentions watching a tense scene from “The Departed” where Leo’s character is on the phone with Matt Damon’s character.
To her surprise, while engrossed in the scene, Gladstone experienced a similar situation when she received a text on her phone from an unmarked number, reading, ‘Hey, this is Leo. Do you want to come over for dinner?’ Skeptical, she questioned the authenticity, thinking, “Is this really him?” To confirm, she reached out to production, and their response affirmed, ‘Yeah, yeah, that’s him.’
Embarking on the unexpected invitation, Gladstone headed to the residence where DiCaprio was staying, where his private chef-prepared dinner for them. Following the meal, “we hung out by the fire outside, just [talking] about, I don’t know, our childhoods.”