This film with Leonardo DiCaprio has been banned in the US since the 1990s. He was afraid that it would ruin his career

Directed by RD Robb and produced by David Stutman and Dale Wheatley, the film was made between 1995 and 1996. The plot follows a group of four twenty-somethings who meet at Don’s Plum restaurant in Los Angeles every Saturday evening to talk about everything. “Don’s Plum” was shot on black and white tape, most of the dialogues were improvised by the actors themselves. The production looked promising. Problems began when it turned out that instead of a short film, the creators had created a full-length film.

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Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire blocked the premiere. They didn’t want the film to destroy their career

In theory, those involved in production did not worry about formalities such as contracts. – We believed we were making a film with friends and didn’t pay attention to the paperwork – Dale Wheatley, quoted by Collider. Tobey Maguire and they enthusiastically agreed to participate, the shooting lasted several days, the actors moved on to other productions.

It turned out that there was enough material to create a full-length production. Not everyone was happy with this turn of events. The actors decided to take legal action and blocked the premiere. Leonardo DiCaprio emphasized that he agreed to participate in a short film, not a full-length film. He also believed that “Don’s Plum”, improvised and created by a group of inexperienced friends, was not “good enough” and would negatively affect his career. Tobey Maguire had a similar opinion, and at one point the actors began to accuse the producers of conspiring behind their backs. Although the creators tried to alleviate the conflict, the matter ultimately ended in . In 1998, the creators sued the actors for $10 million, who responded with a countersuit. Ultimately, a settlement was reached.

A film DiCaprio would rather forget. The creators talk about “senseless oppression”

In the late 1990s, the production was approved outside Canada and the United States, but with several scenes deleted. North American viewers never saw Don’s Plum. The film debuted in 2001 at the Berlin Film Festival and received mixed reviews from critics. And although years have passed, nothing has changed. In 2014, Dale Wheatley, who produced the film together with Stutman, wrote an open letter to DiCaprio and posted the production on the Vimeo platform, which could be watched for free by anyone regardless of where they lived. Two years later, shortly before DiCaprio received his first Oscar, “Don’s Plum” disappeared after the actors intervened. The creators did not hide their bitterness, and Wheatley called DiCaprio and Maguire’s actions “senseless oppression”.