Carson Daly felt his heart sink like the titanic.
The television host, 52, is recounting a time early on in his career where he made a mistake while reading Leonardo DiCaprio’s name off a teleprompter.
During Today’s Fan Fest on Monday, Daly was asked by Andy Cohen about on-air bloopers.
“I was new here too, I wasn’t used to the teleprompter,” Daly recounted, “and I said — the story about Leonardo [DiCaprio] — and I said ‘Leonardo DeCrapio.’”
The star’s co-hosts, Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin, erupted in laughter.
Daly confessed that the incident has stuck with him all these years later.
“And to this day, when I see Leonardo’s name in the prompter, my heartbeat starts to go,” he said.
Just last month, DiCaprio, 50, revealed on Jason and Travis Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast that he was asked to change his name early on in his career.
“I finally got an agent, they said, ‘Your name is too ethnic,’” the actor explained. “I go, ‘What do you mean? It’s Leonardo DiCaprio.’ They go, ‘No, too ethnic. They’re never going to hire you. Your new name is Lenny Williams.’”
He remembered asking, “What is Lenny?”
When DiCaprio’s father, George DiCaprio, got wind of the idea he replied: “Over my dead body.”
“I just remember my dad saying, ‘You know, some day you’re going to have your time, son. Just keep at it. Keep at it.’”
And DiCaprio did, starring in various hit movies, including “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” in 1993, “Romeo + Juliet” in 1996 and “Titanic” in 1997.
While on the podcast, the SAG Award winner told Jason, 37, and Travis, 36, that he considers starring in “This Boy’s Life” with Robert De Niro in 1993 at 16 years old as the “big ‘oh wow’ moment” of his career.
DiCaprio also said he knew he “wanted to be an actor very, very young,” noting he would imitate his parents’ friends at just 4 years old.
Meanwhile, the Oscar winner recently opened up about what his next “chapter” of life looks like.
“I’m slowing down a bit,” DiCaprio told People last month.
Although he isn’t stepping back from acting, the “Revenant” star plans to be pickier with the roles he chooses.
“When these opportunities come up, I mean, I can’t say no,” DiCaprio explained about working on his new movie, “One Battle After Another” with director Paul Thomas Anderson.
Starring in the comedy/adventure felt like the right move.
“I think anytime would’ve been the right time, to be honest,” DiCaprio explained. “Ever since I met Paul early on and I saw ‘Boogie Nights,’ I’ve been an obsessive fan of his work, watched all his movies.”
“His films ruminate in my mind and they’re conversation pieces with my friends, they last.”
As DiCaprio put it: “awards can come and go.”
“Accolades, box office can come and go, but those pieces of art, that you still talk about and still think about and still question,” he expressed. “Those are the films that we strive for as an actor. And Paul is the dude of our generation that does them.”
