Leo DiCaprio's Injury on Django Unchained Actually Made it Into Final Cut
This scene proved once again that Leonardo takes his acting very seriously.
Django Unchained, a 2012 revisionist western film by the legendary Quentin Tarantino, was the director's first attempt at making a film in a previously unexplored genre.
It was a huge success, acclaimed by critics and fans alike, proving once again that Tarantino is a master of his art.
Later, he presented another take on the genre and created another masterpiece, The Hateful Eight, which was somewhat less favorably received, most likely because the director toned down the action scenes and made the narrative much more extended.
Among the many colorful and unique characters introduced in the film, one stands out. Calvin J. Candie, a charming but cruel owner of the Candyland plantation, brought to life by the one and only Leonardo DiCaprio.
Although Leo rarely portrays villains, he managed to make Calvin as memorable and deranged as possible, quickly earning him a place among the most charismatic movie villains.
But the actor decided to take his acting skills to the next level in arguably the most intense scene of the entire film, when protagonists Django Freeman (Jamie Foxx) and Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) visit the Candyland plantation in an attempt to buy the freedom of Django's wife, Broomhilda.
As the negotiations take a heated turn, Calvin slams his hand down on the table, breaking a glass and injuring himself in the process. He then continues his tirade, smearing his blood all over Broomhilda's face.
Although this scene appears to be completely scripted, it is not. Leonardo DiCaprio accidentally cut his hand, but remained in character, picking up pieces of broken glass during his monologue.
The actor's professionalism turned up the intensity of the iconic scene and earned him a standing ovation from the other actors after Tarantino's cut, who was also impressed and included the scene in the final cut of the film. The actor needed several stitches.
This is not the only injury DiCaprio suffered during the filming of Django Unchained. There was another one when the hammer used in the same dinner scene broke and hit him in the head.
After that, the real hammer was replaced with a foam one. Oddly enough, this is not the only instance of Leo going to great lengths to improve his portrayal of a character.
In 2015's The Revenant, which later earned the actor his first Oscar, he ate real raw bison liver during one of the scenes.