Leonardo DiCaprio Says He Was 'Starstruck' Meeting Luke Perry on theOnce Upon a Time in HollywoodSet: 'It Was Incredible'

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:Steve Granitz/FilmMagic; CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic; CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty

Everyone gets starstruck sometimes — even A-listers likeLeonardo DiCaprio.

“Having been born and raised in Los Angeles, and worked in this industry my entire life, it has, in many ways, greatly shaped who I am,” he continued. “There was an immediate sense of excitement in seeing Luke Perry on set. It was incredible.”

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Perry starred inOnce Upon a Time in Hollywoodas real-life actor Wayne Maunder, appearing in a recreation ofLancer’s pilot episode. DiCaprio, meanwhile, portrayed a fictional actor who starred in Westerns, Rick Dalton.

Continuing to recall the moment when he got to come face-to-face with Perry on set inI Am Luke Perry, DiCaprio said, “I remember being in my teens, and he was the manifestation of the new [James] Dean on television, and everyone was crazy about him.”

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“I felt this overwhelming feeling of being starstruck,” the actor continued. “But then he and I got to sit down and talk about Los Angeles, the ’90s, his life, where his career had gone, where my career had gone, where his life [had gone], my life [had gone].”

Perry died just four monthsbeforeOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood’sJuly 2019 premiere.

Luke Perry in May 2017.Andrew Toth/Getty

Andrew Toth/Getty

DiCapriopreviously spoke of Perryon the red carpet that summer, saying, “I grew up with him on [Beverly Hills]90210, looking up to him as literally the coolest dude on Earth, and honestly, when I was on set, I was starstruck.”

He added at the time, “We got to sit down and chat. He couldn’t have been a more amazing human being. It’s a real tragic loss.”

DiCaprio had also posted atribute on social mediaon March 4, the day Perry’s death was confirmed, writing that it was an “honor” to have worked with him.

I Am Luke Perryis now streaming.

source: people.com