Leonardo DiCaprio’s father makes acting debut with cameo in Licorice Pizza

The Oscar winning actor’s father plays an ‘eccentric hippie in a water bed store’ in Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film

Leonardo DiCaprio with father George (Getty Images)

Leonardo DiCaprio’s father George has made his acting debut with a cameo in Paul Thomas Anderson’s new comedy-drama, Licorice Pizza.

The love story, set in 1973, stars two newcomers, American pop rock band Haim member, Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman, the son of late Phillip Seymour Hoffman. It also stars Sean Penn, Bradley Cooper, Tom Watts and Benny Safdie.

The Revenant actor, DiCaprio, was reportedly attending the premiere of his forthcoming film Don’t Look Up, also starring Jennifer Lawrence, on Sunday (5 December) when he found out about his father’s role in Anderson’s critically acclaimed coming-of-age movie.

In conversation with ET at the time, DiCaprio exclaimed: “I haven’t seen it yet but my dad, George DiCaprio, has a cameo in a Paul Thomas Anderson movie!”

“Today was a good day,” the Oscar-winning actor added, reacting to the news.

The New York Times journalist Kyle Buchanan first revealed that George had been cast as an “eccentric hippie in a water bed store” in Anderson’s film.

Anderson told the reporter he had “created a picture of a guy who owned a wig shop that sold these water beds” and knew someone who looked exactly like him – but he couldn’t remember who.

“And like a bolt of lightning, I remember, like, ‘Leo’s dad looks exactly like this!’” Anderson said.

The Boogie Nights director then tracked him down and explained the character Anderson wanted him to play.

George quickly agreed to be part of Licorice Pizza, asking Anderson whether DiCaprio had told him he owned a water bed company.

“It was called Foggy Bottom,” the 78-year-old told Anderson.

Licorice Pizza was released in select cinemas in the US on 26 November, to be followed by a nationwide release on 25 December.

The film will be released on 7 January 2022 in the UK.