Mischa Barton's Publicist Suggested She Hook Up With Leonardo DiCaprio When She Was 19 To Boost Her Career—"Isn't Leo, Like, 30 Or Something?"
Here's a flashback that didn't age well: When Mischa Barton was only 19 years of age, her publicist suggested she hook up with Leonardo DiCaprio to boost her image.
Leonardo DiCaprio is taking the heat from social media users once again. The 48-year-old was recently spotted with a 19-year-old model named Eden Polani – just 5 months after breaking up with his ex, Camila Morrone.
The Titanic actor was seen in public with the young, red-headed beauty. But their shocking age difference of 29 years has rattled the internet, and many audience members have deemed DiCaprio a "predator."
The viral snapshot of DiCaprio and Polani prompted users to dig up some things from the past. One quote from actress Mischa Barton has resurfaced – and the information she revealed did not age well at all.
In 2005, 19-year-old Mischa Barton disclosed that her publicist suggested she hook up with the actor to boost her image. 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?”
The resurfaced quote has made the rounds on social media, leading many to wonder if DiCaprio's exes were "pushed" into dating him for publicity. "this makes me wonder if the young women who dated Leonardo DiCaprio were or were not pushed into dating him for publicity by their family and agency and its making me sick," writes @matutweets.
"That's actually really weird to have your publicist tell you to have sex with someone that you don't want to 'for your career' I feel so bad for celebrities," adds @RabbitChild72.
Others think that Barton’s refusal to date Leo is proof of consent. “perfect example how the women can just refuse to date Leo...its not that hard,” says @AlbanianJesus. “So both leo and the young women that chose to date him should be shamed, they are not victims.”
It's true that the age gap between DiCaprio and Barton is somewhat concerning, but there's probably no reason to freak out. According to TMZ, DiCaprio isn't even dating Polani. "Our source says Leo and Eden just so happen to have been seated next to each other at the party and were hanging in the same group," their site explains.
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