A landmark interview with Mischa Barton has emerged amid the new backlash against Leonardo DiCaprio’s dating habits.
The actor’s penchant for dating younger women landed him in the headlines this week, after DiCaprio, 48, was linked to 19-year-old model Eden Polani. Many people have criticized the actor for dating women much younger than him, while pointing out the alleged fact that he has never dated anyone over 25.
Now, a historic interview with the OC Barton star has surfaced online. In it, he details a conversation with a publicist in which he says he was told to “go to bed” with the Titanic star.
As Buzzfeed reports, the actor was interviewed by the UK section of Harper’s Bazaar, then known as Harpers & Queens. Barton made a candid revelation in the interview. He said he had a conversation with his publicist, Craig Schneider, during which he said he was told to use DiCaprio to improve his career.
Barton was 19 then and starring in the teen drama The OC, while DiCaprio was around 30 at the time. The actress said she and her publicist were out for a walk when they saw DiCaprio doing a photo shoot in Malibu, Calif.
Barton reportedly quoted his publicist as saying, “For the sake of your career, go sleep with this man.” However, Barton reportedly dismissed the idea of being with a man his own age, saying, “Isn’t Leo 30 or something?”
Barton found success in 2003, when she was cast as Marissa Cooper on the popular TV series The OC, and had been on the show for two years when, according to the Harpers interview, she was given the publicity tip shocking.
DiCaprio has seen his career rise and rise since 2005, already an A-List star. Since then, the actor has won an Oscar and starred in numerous films, including The Wolf of Wall Street and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
DiCaprio was never married, but had several high-profile romances. As the actor nears his half-century, his choice to date women from an age range that never seems to change has been met with criticism and accusations from various outlets, including The Independent.
NME has reached out to representatives for DiCaprio and Schneider for comment.