You're 25. You just starred in the biggest movie in the world. You are one of the most famous people on the planet. What do you do? If you're Leonardo DiCaprio, you go to The Beach.
20 years ago, many people were surprised to see DiCaprio choose to follow up his monster success in Titanic with The Beach, a Danny Boyle-directed thriller that based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Alex Garland. Years later, it's easy to see why DiCaprio, known for his tendency to pick more serious and unexpected fare, was drawn to the film. But back in 2000, people were not expecting the dreamy Jack Dawson to play an American tourist in search of a secret beach utopia in Thailand. Things, naturally, get weird.
While The Beach, which was released on Feb. 11, has since gone on to develop a cult following, it was considered a flop when it first came out, with the U.S. box office barely doubling DiCaprio's huge headline-making payday and the superstar earning an award no one in Hollywood wants to receive.
Here are 20 surprising facts you might not know about The Beach, like how much weight DiCaprio needed to drop for the role and which British superstar felt so betrayed by the film's director when he didn't land the lead role that the pair didn't speak for a decade....