DiCaprio, De Niro searching for “co-star” as part of Covid-19 charity drive

Hollywood actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro are among celebrities raising funds in a Covid-19 charity drive. The lucky donor will have a “walk in” role in a coming movie, according to a report in malaymail.com on Thursday (April 16).

DiCaprio and De Niro are starring in Martin Scorsese’s Killers Of The Flower Moon, a movie based on actual events during the Native American killings in 1920s Oklahoma.

On an Instagram video, DiCaprio said that this was a chance for anyone to work with the famous Scorsese. The person chosen will also dine with the actors and director as well as be invited to the premiere.

The charity drive is part of the #AllInChallenge that was launched on Tuesday (April 14) where A-listers from the entertainment and sports industry auction or donate a “once-in-a-lifetime fan experience”.

Some of the experiences include having Justin Bieber perform in your house, playing golf with actor-producer-director Rob Lowe or watching a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game with Magic Johnson. Those opportunities have accumulated US$4 million so far. The target amount is US$100 million.

The amount raised will be given to charities that offer food relief for the underprivileged, such as Meals On Wheels, No Kid Hungry and America’s Food Fund. The latter is an initiative of DiCaprio and Laurene Jobs, the widow of Steve Jobs.

DiCaprio enlisted Ellen DeGeneres to be part of the initiative and the talk show host offered a chance for the lucky winner to co-host her show. Actor-producer Matthew McConaughey has invited a donor to watch an American Football game in Texas with him in his private box.

The charity drive is one of the many initiatives started by celebrities to give aid to frontliners or underprivileged during the Covid-19 pandemic. Singer Rihanna has contributed US$5 million, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has donated US$1 billion, and Larry David, the co-creator of Seinfeld, has launched a US$150,000 GoFundMe drive at the Riviera Country Club in LA to support golf caddies who lost their jobs. /TISG