The best-kept secret in the series industry of the 80s and 90s was the audition of the now-star Leonardo DiCaprio for the series Baywatch, one of the most successful on American television and which is the object of true veneration all over the world.
Baywatch, the series that premiered in 1989 in the United States and became a worldwide success for 11 seasons, has had several guest stars in its long and famous history, such as Sofía Vergara, who later became one of the highest-paid actresses on television. for her role as Gloria in the comedy-drama sitcom, Modern Family.
Baywatch was released in 1989 and ended in 2001.
On the beaches of Santa Monica, California, Baywatch follows lifeguard captain Mitch Buchannan, played by actor David Hasselhoff, who leads lifeguards with an iron fist to save as many as possible. it can end very badly.
However, these lifeguards are much more than just swimmers, because as time goes by, they also become collaborators with the police in catching the kinds of criminals that have injected an extra dose of adrenaline into an episode of Baywatch.
An interesting fact about Baywatch is that this series was originally released by the American television network NBC in 1989. However, high production costs, versus the series’ lower audience ratings, caused its cancellation after the first season. It was David Hasselhoff himself who, seeing the potential of the series, decided to buy it back and pay the profits with his own money, after which Baywatch was almost disbanded and became a worldwide success, with several spin-off franchises such as the Australian version. , Baywatch Downunder, Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding, a 2017 TV movie and big screen adaptation called Baywatch starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Zac Efron, Alexandra Daddario and Kelly Rohrbach.
Leonardo DiCaprio turned for the role in Baywatch
When he was 15 years old, Leonardo DiCaprio auditioned for the series Baywatch but was rejected.
Leonardo DiCaprio is a very difficult name to forget today. This Oscar winner is one of the first paid actors and with the most memorable roles in Hollywood, such as Jack Dawson in the 1997 romantic drama Titanic or as Frank William Abagnale Jr. in the 2002 film Catch Me If You Can.
However, when he was only 15 years old, Leonardo DiCaprio wanted to be part of the big cast of Baywatch and he heard that his son Mitch Buchannan would get the role. But David Hasselhoff himself, who was also the producer of the show, did not tell him. The reason the boy didn’t lack talent, his age revealed original Baywatch producers Michael Berk and Douglas Schwartz in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“David thought he was too old to play with his son,” Berk said. “In his place, he got the part of nine-year-old Jeremy Jackson,” he added in the interview.
