A resurfaced interview with Mischa Barton alleges she was told by her publicist to sleep with Leonardo DiCaprio to get ahead, despite being 11 years his junior at the time.
Barton, who is now 37, is known for her roles in the likes of The O.C. and Ashton Kutcher series This Beautiful Life, having most recently featured in a reboot of reality series The Hills, titled The Hills: New Beginnings.
Over the years, she has been linked to oil heir Brandon Davis, musician Cisco Adler and Australian model James Abercrombie, but one name that isn’t among past lovers is Leonardo DiCaprio – a star that she supposedly was advised to date to help boost her career.
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DiCaprio, 48, has been at the centre of online debate since he was rumoured to be in a relationship with 19-year-old Israeli model Eden Polani, with many noting their vast age difference of almost three decades.
Sharing a summary of comments Barton made in 2005 during an interview with Harper's Bazaar – formerly Harpers and Queen – one Twitter user wrote: “This aged well.”
The text appears to be a roundup of the interview by Female First, which said: “In 2005, 19-year-old Mischa Barton disclosed that her publicist suggested she hook up with the actor to boost her image.
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“The O.C. actress told Harpers & Queen (now known as Harpers Bazaar) that her old agent, reportedly Craig Schneider, urged her to get involved with DiCaprio.
“The suggestion came after Gisele Bündchen announced her split with the then-32-year-old actor.
“Barton, who was horrified, said, ‘Isn’t Leo, like 30 or something?’”
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It has not been confirmed that Hollywood publicist Craig Schneider was the person who advised the move, but UNILAD has reached out to him for comment.
DiCaprio's dating history is dominated by women aged 25 or younger, including American model Camila Morrone, now 25, who he dated from 2017 until 2022.
He has also previously been in relationships with Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen, having started dating her when he was 25 and she was 20, and Bar Rafaeli - their time together ended when she was 25, and he was 36.
DiCaprio has most recently been linked to ITM Model Management-signed Polani, having been photographed alongside her at a party.
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However, there hasn't thus far been confirmation that they are dating, with a source telling People earlier this week: "Leo and Eden just so happened to have been seated next to each other at the party, and were hanging in the same group… Just because Leo might be talking to or sitting with a girl doesn't mean he's dating her."
Topics: Celebrity, Leonardo DiCaprio
Jess Hardiman