Unmasking the Latest Titanic Heartthrob

Sometimes in Hollywood you make all the right moves for all the right reasons. And sometimes you just get lucky.

When Leonardo DiCaprio was cast in the swashbuckler tale “The Man in the Iron Mask,” MGM/UA officials had no idea that the boyishly handsome actor would become one of the world’s top box-office attractions on the strength of his performance in the record-breaking “Titanic.”

Now, the studio hopes to reap the windfall.

“The Man in the Iron Mask” has become the first release in 13 weeks not to be sunk by “Titanic,” as the two films tied with estimated grosses of $17.5 million during the weekend.

Those numbers shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. MGM had such high hopes for the film, given DiCaprio’s current red-hot appeal, that it opened the movie on 3,101 screens nationwide. That was the widest film opening in the studio’s 74-year history, eclipsing the previous record-holder, “Tomorrow Never Dies,” which premiered in December on 2,807 screens.

With these back-to-back hits, DiCaprio has suddenly vaulted onto Hollywood’s A-list with other top stars such as Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks and Jim Carrey--stars who can be counted on to pull audiences into the theaters on opening weekend.

“He is a young Tom Cruise,” said Fox distribution chief Tom Sherak. “He’s as hot as you can be as an actor. Now the question is, as he grows, what parts will he choose, will he choose wisely?”

One top studio executive, asked to assess the heat around DiCaprio, remarked: “Remember Frank Sinatra or the Beatles? With this guy, it’s Leo Fever.”

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Now that he’s a huge star, DiCaprio will have his pick of projects--but like other young Hollywood stars, he may not make the usual choices.

“Money will not make him do a movie,” said one high-level studio official. “He’s just as likely to do a movie for scale on a project that he likes than get a big payday.”

The 23-year-old actor may have been overlooked for this year’s Academy Awards--he’s heading off to France and Britain to promote “Mask,” and his publicist said it’s unlikely he will attend the ceremony next Monday--but in many ways, he is Hollywood’s man of the hour.

DiCaprio, who earned only $2.5 million on “Titanic,” is generating so much heat that rumors abound that he could command as much as $20 million on his next big movie.

DiCaprio’s handlers, however, have not yet revealed what his future plans are. There has been speculation that he might be in line to make “Trick Monkey,” the story of a magician and his apprentice based on the exploits of rising young illusionist David Blaine, who is a friend of DiCaprio. But the deal has not been confirmed and studio sources say the script is merely in development at Tribeca Productions.

DiCaprio was busy filming “Titanic” in October 1996, when MGM/UA executives approached him about starring in “Mask.” The actor’s prior film, “William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet,” co-starring Claire Danes, opened No. 1 at the box office on Nov. 1 of that year, doing $11.1 million in its first weekend. The film went on to make $46.3 million domestically and confirming DiCaprio as a favorite of teenage girl fans.

Shooting began on “Mask” in April 1997 and wrapped at the end of July, several months before director James Cameron had begun screening “Titanic,” which created an instant positive buzz around DiCaprio’s performance.

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In “The Man in the Iron Mask,” DiCaprio plays the dual roles of King Louis XIV, who has been raised to be king, and Philippe, who has spent the last seven years in a barren cell, his identity concealed in a dehumanizing mask.

The movie was written for the screen and directed by Randall Wallace (“Braveheart”) and, along with DiCaprio, stars an ensemble cast of veteran talent that includes Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu and Gabriel Byrne.

DiCaprio has been recognized for his acting talents since his early films like “This Boy’s Life” and “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.”

“We’ve known about him for years,” said manager Joan Hyler, who recalled meeting DiCaprio while visiting her client, Juliette Lewis, on the set of the 1993 movie “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.”

“When Juliette Lewis and Johnny Depp are raving about a fellow actor, then it’s no surprise,” Hyler said. “His star may be rising with the commercial success of ‘Titanic,’ but his talent was rising many years before this.”

In his desire not to be pigeonholed into conventional big-budget movies, industry observers say DiCaprio is not unlike other younger stars like Brad Pitt and Matthew McConaughey, who seem almost embarrassed to be thought of as movie stars and want, instead, to prove themselves as actors.

“They’re actors with a capital A and don’t want to be considered movie stars,” said Hyler.

* ‘TITANIC’ NO. 1 ALL-TIME: Another big weekend pushes “Titanic” past “Star Wars.” B section, F2