Leonardo DiCaprio, the star of epic films like Titanic, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Inception, is undoubtedly a household name. He’s bagged numerous awards, including an Oscar for his performance in The Revenant, and estimates suggest his films have racked up over £5.5billion.
But away from the glitz and glam, Leonardo’s path has been anything but straightforward. For years, he’s struggled with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a fact that might surprise many of his fans. The NHS describes OCD as a mental health condition characterised by obsessions, intense emotions, and compulsive behaviours.
Sufferers often experience persistent, unwanted thoughts that cause significant anxiety, leading to repetitive actions intended to ease this distress. Although these compulsions provide temporary relief, the intrusive thoughts usually return, trapping the individual in a relentless cycle.
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Leonardo has especially struggled with repetitive actions, like stepping on gum stains while walking. Back in 2005, he reportedly explained: “My thing was not stepping on cracks, or not stepping on certain things. Sometimes it took me 10 minutes to get to the set because I’d be pacing back and forth, stepping on gum stains.”
Aside from this, Leonardo has also faced the urge to walk through doorways multiple times. While these compulsions have often delayed filming on set, he’s previously asserted that he doesn’t want the condition to rule his life.
In fact, his experience with OCD has been instrumental in the realistic portrayal of certain characters. This includes Howard Hughes – a successful film producer who suffered from OCD in The Aviator.
“I’m able to say at some point, ‘Ok, you’re being ridiculous, stop stepping on every gum stain you see’,” he added, according to the Express. “You don’t need to do that. You don’t need to walk 20ft back and put your foot on that thing. Nothing bad is going to happen.”
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On a separate note, he also added: “I let it all go and never listened to the other voice… I remember my make-up artist and assistant walking me to the set going, ‘Oh God, we’re going to need 10 minutes to get him there because he has to walk back and step on that thing, touch that door and walk in and out again’.”
Figures suggest that one in every 50 people suffer with OCD at one point in their lives, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists. There is much uncertainty surrounding the driving cause of this, though stress, genetics and brain changes may play a part.
The NHS adds: “Almost everyone has unpleasant or unwanted thoughts at some point, such as thinking they may have forgotten to lock the door of the house, or even sudden unwelcome violent or offensive mental images. But if you have a persistent, unpleasant thought that dominates your thinking to the extent it interrupts other thoughts, you may have an obsession.”
Read its full guidance at the NHS website.