Leonardo DiCaprio fully inhabited the role of Huge Glass in The Revenant, even eating raw bison liver despite speculation that he’s a vegan.
Known for his dating habits more than his dieting habits, the actor asked for a raw bison liver to eat while shooting Alejandro Iñárritu’s film. He even possibly got sick afterwards! In the film DiCaprio plays a fur trapper driven by revenge, fighting to survive a treacherous landscape and mother nature.
Wanting to make his scenes realistic, Leo took method acting to new heights. Facing harsh weather and consuming raw bison liver, he brought his character to life. In The Revenant, Leonardo DiCaprio endured a tough filming process, including eating raw bison liver while earning an Oscar for Best Leading Actor for his performance.
Leonardo DiCaprio Has Not Publicly Stated He’s A Vegan
Leonardo DiCaprio doesn’t draw attention to his personal food preferences publicly. Rather than discussing his diet, he promotes the benefits of eating plant-based and vegan foods and enjoys extreme sports.
Some familiar with the actor have mentioned his preference for plant-based, vegan and vegetarian meals. In a 2019 interview with Spectator, singer Moby described DiCaprio as a “bold-faced vegan”. Moby also discussed a brunch he went to with DiCaprio and Jane Goodall, a friend of DiCaprio.
The trio had a conversation about “the need to stop the practice of using animals for food.” Moby also brought up the vegan croissants they ate over their talk.
Actress Gwenyth Paltrow revealed that he had a positive impact on her eating habits in an interview.
Paltrow recalled, “I hung out with Leonardo DiCaprio when I moved to New York. He was a vegetarian. He’d talk about how dirty meat is and how bad factory farming is. I haven't eaten red meat in 20 years and although Leo's not totally responsible he definitely planted a seed.”
Chef Wolfgang Puck told Hollywood Insider that the Titanic actor requested a vegan meal at the SAG Awards.
“I did the SAG Awards and Leo DiCaprio said, ‘What can you give me, something vegan?’ He wanted vegan. We made a vegan pizza. He ate it so fast.”
Starting the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in 1998, the actor often gets involved in and speaks out about environmental issues, including eating plant-based foods for meats.
Eating raw bison liver must have been rough for Leo's support, promoting and investing in plant-based and vegan brands. Plus the actor apparently prefers vegan meals!
Why Did Leonardo DiCaprio Eat Raw Bison Liver For The Revenant?
So why did Leo eat that raw bison liver? The props department apparently had an alternative, a fake liver for the actor to consume. No one had expected the actor to ask for, and eat, the real thing.
Wanting to nail an authentic performance, DiCaprio was worried the prop created for the scene didn’t look right.
Talking to Business Insider, Clay Landry, the film’s historical and wilderness technical advisor, revealed, “The props guys had come up with an artificial bison liver for the scene.” Not looking quite authentic enough for Leo, he asked for the real thing instead.
Landry remarked, “Leo had it talked over and they were going to use a real liver.”
DiCaprio brings the moment to life by eating actual raw bison liver. Landry noted that the unconventional meal is true to the time period, including that it wasn’t cooked.
“Bison liver would be one of the first things a real mountain man would eat when he killed a buffalo. He would eat it raw because it was good for him and nutritious.”
Landry remarked, “It was impressive”, referring to DiCaprio’s performance consuming the bison liver.
Leonardo's Reaction In The Revenant Footage Was Authentic
When viewers see his character’s reaction, they are seeing Leo’s real-life response to the taste of raw liver bison.
“I certainly don’t eat raw bison liver on a regular basis. When you see the movie, you'll see my reaction to it, because Alejandro kept it in. It says it all. It was an instinctive reaction,” DiCaprio told Yahoo! Movies.
It’s impressive he stayed in character, powering through the experience without giving up. Surprisingly, several actors have had their real responses included in films.
At first, the filmmaker felt worried about DiCaprio eating something possibly dangerous, Iñárritu is truly pleased with the performance.
He told Variety, “without it, he may not have gotten to the truth.” Supposedly the actor got sick after eating the liver.
According to production designer Jack Fisk, “He had to eat the liver, I think he threw up afterward…he was so into it. It made me really appreciate the extent to which he’ll go to make things right,” Fisk told Yahoo!
DiCaprio’s hard work certainly paid off when he took home the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading role at the 2016 Academy Awards Ceremony. His sixth nomination and first win, Leonardo DiCaprio has proven himself to be an actor who can completely embody his characters.