Hold the phone! Leonardo DiCaprio was supposed to be in Now and Then, screenwriter Marlene King revealed to Entertainment Tonight in honor of the 1995 comedy’s 20th anniversary.
“The one role that originally was different was Leonardo DiCaprio was going to play the Vietnam vet, but something happened and he had a conflict,” the Pretty Little Liars showrunner dished. “I know, it’s crazy!”
For those of you who haven’t seen the film, DiCaprio’s role went to Brendan Fraser. “Brendan was like a last minute swap for him,” King explained. “But Brendan did such a good job, so it was all good.”
The beloved coming-of-age film was based on King’s childhood (her parents divorced when she was in the 12th grade), and her favorite moment from the film still belongs to Christina Ricci and Devon Sawa’s on-screen kiss.
“It’s still one of my favorite scenes, and that was like a real memory,” King dished. “That was just like my first kiss when he kisses Roberta. That was like right out of my life’s story and was so true to life.”
Sawa, for the record, was cast because of his on-screen chemistry with Ricci in 1995’s Casper.
“We just knew that he was so cute,” King recalled. “I had watched Casper because somebody had mentioned Christina for the movie, and we just thought he was so adorable.”
“It was just such a special time,” King also gushed to Entertainment Weekly of the film. “It was one of those things where everything was flawless. We came together as a family to make that movie, and I think you see it on the screen. It was such a special time, and it was a blessed project in that way. Everything that could go right, did go right.”
And never forget — “Sugar, Sugar!”
