Already have an account?
Get back to the

Leonardo DiCaprio Almost Died in the Galapagos but Was Saved by Ed Norton

Leonardo DiCaprio attends the "Before The Flood" New York premiere at United Nations Headquarters on October 20, 2016 in New York City.
Leonardo DiCaprio attends the 'Before the Flood' New York premiere at United Nations Headquarters on Oct. 20, 2016, in New York City. Andrew Toth/WireImage

He owes him! Leonardo DiCaprio nearly died during a 2010 water expedition in the Galapagos but survived thanks to fellow actor and pal Ed Norton.

Film director Fisher Stevens, who worked with DiCaprio, 41, on the new documentary Before the Flood, opened up about the scary incident in a new interview with GQ magazine.

Related: PHOTOS: Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet’s Adorable Friendship Through the Years

"I was filming [oceanographer] Sylvia [Earle] and I had this little easy camera to shoot underwater, and he was Sylvia's diving buddy, so I said, 'Would you film Sylvia?' And he said, 'Yeah, I love it, man, I love it,'" Stevens, 52, recalled.

"I was diving buddies with Edward Norton. So we go down and we see 300 Eagle Rays and Spotted Rays and it was an amazing dive," he continued. "Leo bolts away with Sylvia, and Edward goes in front of me, and the next thing I know after 20 minutes, I'd lost them all. Then, I see Leo barely breathing, because Leo's tank was leaking oxygen, and Edward had to save him!"

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrities' First Oscar Appearances

The situation was terrifying, but it brought Stevens and the Oscar winner closer together. "It was pretty crazy. But he actually did get some film for me and it was good for a second, and then it got pretty shaky when he couldn’t breathe," Stevens told GQ. "But we really bonded on that trip."

Related: Celebrity Health Scares

DiCaprio has had his fair share of near-death experiences. In the past, a great white shark jumped into his cage when he was diving in South Africa, a plane engine exploded during his Delta Airlines flight to Russia and his parachute almost didn't open when he went skydiving.

Last December, the Revenant actor joked about his many brushes with death during an interview with Wired. "If a cat has nine lives, I think I've used a few," he said at the time.

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!