David Blaine has minimized the significance of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Pussy Posse nickname, a group that included him alongside Lukas Haas, Tobey Maguire, and Kevin Connolly.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Blaine discussed his friendship with DiCaprio, whom he met while performing magic in New York during the ’90s. “I was very lucky as a kid to meet some of the people that I thought were so talented and amazing,” said Blaine. “We became friends. Leo had also done magic a little bit, and his dad was an incredible artist, and he had these great little bits of knowledge about magicians. He knew Ricky Jay.”
He shared that they recorded a voicemail for Blaine’s TV special, Street Magic, while DiCaprio was filming Titanic. Director James Cameron actually gave them a studio beneath the massive set to record an interview for it. When asked about the infamous “Pussy Posse” — the label that stuck to DiCaprio and his inner circle in the ’90s — Blaine downplayed its reputation.
“That was a narrative,” Blaine said, rejecting the idea that Leo and his young actor friends were a crew of womanizers known for wild partying. “It was a tabloid thing. Because I’d never even heard that term until years later.” He didn’t elaborate further on the nickname that followed Leo and his crew throughout the ’90s as they rose to fame.
The term even haunted them when they made their indie drama Don’s Plum, which they eventually blocked from release due to its misogynistic content. Even though none of the supposed posse members want to discuss their reputation these days, it remains a fascinating piece of ’90s celebrity lore for those who followed their escapades.
Back in 2015, Complex published a breakdown of the unauthorized history of the Pussy Posse, which you can read here.
