Leonardo DiCaprio almost cast in 'Baywatch'

Washington, June 1 (ANI): Leonardo DiCaprio was almost cast in 'Baywatch' but the show star and producer David Hasselhoff thinks it was better for his career not to have landed a part in the series.

The 'Departed' star was in line to play the role of Hobie, son of Hasselhoff's central character Mitch Buchannon, in the hugely popular 90s Californian lifeguard series.

"Yeah, it was true! You know what, it was the best thing to happen to Leonardo DiCaprio," Contactmusic quoted Hasselhoff as saying.

"I saw Leonardo and I said, 'You know what, that was the best thing that ever happened to you!'

"You would have never gotten 'Titanic' and have been this big star," he said.

Joking about the actor who got the part, he added: "You'd be like Jeremy Jackson and David Hasselhoff, looking for work.' Ha!"

Although Hasselhoff joked, DiCaprio is now one of the most recognisable film stars in the world, while Jackson has dealt with drug problems, which he had partly attributed to the show - at one time the most widely watched TV programme on the planet - and has appeared in 'Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew' in 2011.

Hasselhoff has continued to have a successful career as a TV personality and reality TV judge on 'America's Got Talent' and 'Britain's Got Talent'. Other stars to go on to successful careers after appearing in 'Baywatch' include Carmen Electra and Pamela Anderson. (ANI)