Mischa Barton Claims She Was Shockingly Encouraged to Sleep With Leonardo DiCaprio at 19 'for the Sake of Her Career'

Leonardo DiCaprio’s dating history is starting to haunt him, and he may want to take a deeper look inside himself because the headlines lately have nothing to do with his movies. After recently being linked to 19-year-old model Eden Polani, a 2005 interview with Mischa Barton is stirring up more discussions about his age-gap dating choices.

The O.C. star claims she was encouraged by her publicist to stir up some publicity for herself by sleeping with DiCaprio — she was 19 years old at the time. She told Harper’s and Queen magazine that her rep ordered, “For the sake of your career, go and sleep with the man.” She wisely replied, “Isn’t Leo like, 30, or something?” (They are 11 years apart in age.) The clip resurfaced on a pop culture Twitter account that astutely noted, “this aged well.”

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Of course, this was the era of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton — and we know how poorly the press treated them. So, that comment didn’t even raise an eyebrow. However, now that people are taking a closer look at the Oscar winner’s dating choices, why does a 48-year-old man need to keep the company of a 19-year-old young woman?

While a source told Page Six that there is “zero truth” that DiCaprio is dating Polani, that doesn’t erase the evidence of past girlfriends, including Camila Morrone, Bar Refaeli, and Nina Agdal, who were all significantly younger than him. With the world pointing out his behavior, it will be fascinating to watch if he changes his ways or if he doubles down on his nightlife activities.

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Before you go, click here to see famous men who routinely date women half their age.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Kelsey Grammer
Leonardo DiCaprio, Kelsey Grammer

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