People are trying to argue that Leonardo DiCaprio wasn't "famous famous" before Titanic
It was roughly five years ago that the Mandela Effect—the phenomenon of shared false memory—was popularized when people began claiming we once lived in a parallel universe where the the Berenstain Bears were actually called the Berenstein Bears. A similar moment occurred a few years later when a whole slew of people were convinced the comedian Sinbad starred in a non-existent movie called Shazaam. None of this is true, obviously, and neither is the current assertion that Leonardo DiCaprio was somehow not famous before he starred in 1997's Titanic.
This current argument began after Vox published an excellent interview with the French filmmaker Céline Sciamma, whose Portrait Of A Lady On Fire was one of our favorite movies of 2019. Their conversation turned to Titanic, which Sciamma praised for being “totally queer.” She also, however, described DiCaprio and co-star Kate Winslet for being “not known—not stars,” which, c’mon.
Here’s the full quote:
Titanic is the hugest success, and it’s because it’s totally queer. Leonardo DiCaprio was totally androgynous at the time. DiCaprio and Kate Winslet were both not known—not stars—so there was no power dynamic between them. Like, if you look at the sex scene in Titanic, she’s on top. He’s the one who’s being totally fragile and insecure. I think it was a huge success because it’s a love story with equality and with emancipation.