Breaking down Nickelodeon Doc’s Leonardo DiCaprio mention
Leonardo DiCaprio.
Albert L. Ortega/Getty ImagesInvestigation Discovery’s Nickelodeon docuseries includes a surprising mention of Leonardo DiCaprio.
During the third part of Quiet on the set: the dark side of children’s televisionwhich airs on Monday March 18, Drake Bell breaks his silence about being the child star who accused the dialogue coach Brian Peck of sexual abuse. Drake, 37, and his father, Joe Bellwere both interviewed about their history with Peck, 63, and the subsequent trial.
Joe, who managed Drake’s career when he started working at Nickelodeon, recalled his first encounter with Peck.
“I was told Brian was a good coach and that he could really get Drake some jobs,” Joe told the cameras. “[People told me], ‘He worked with Leonardo DiCaprio. He worked with this person and that person. ”
While Hollywood may seem all glitz and glamor at first glance, the industry has seen its fair share of scandals over the years. The New York Times and the New Yorker first published investigative pieces in 2017 accusing disgruntled film producer Harvey Weinstein of decades of sexual assault and harassment. Shortly afterwards, Weinstein stood trial and did so […]
In a separate confessional, Drake said he met Peck as soon as he moved from Paramount Studios to the Nick on Sunset set, adding, “He got along with everyone and everyone got along with him. He had worked in the sector for a long time. … At that moment he seemed like any other nice colleague.”
Drake’s father noted that it didn’t take long for him to question Peck’s intentions.
“Everything seemed fine at first, but I was always within eyeshot of them,” he explained. “I was very attentive. All other parents would be seen and not heard. I would never interrupt him, but I was rarely in the green room. I was always somewhere where I could keep an eye on Drake.”
Joe said Peck’s interactions with Drake “didn’t sit well with him.”
“Drake would be in the locker room and Brian would come in. He would just touch Drake or do things where I [would think], ‘Wait a second. Drake could do that to himself.” And the thing is, this is in front of the people,” he recalls. “Then he’d walk over to Drake and maybe give him some lines and put his arm around his waist or his hand on his shoulder and run it down his arm. This would happen routinely. It was just always awkward.”
Drake Bell has endured multiple arrests, abuse allegations and more since bursting into the spotlight as a child star. Bell rose to fame after landing several TV roles in his youth. He made a name for himself after his time at Nickelodeon, with hit projects such as All That, Drake & Josh, […]
The docuseries then played archive footage of Peck and DiCaprio, now 49, on the set of Growing pains. The show, which ran from 1985 to 1992, featured Peck in several small roles, while DiCaprio played a homeless teenager in the final season.
“Leo, as you know, is the newest, hottest, most handsome teen idol around,” Peck said in the clip before then-teenage DiCaprio flashed his muscles at the camera. (DiCaprio has not publicly discussed his past interactions with Peck or Peck’s legal issues.)
Referring to the footage in his confessional, Joe said: “I saw this video of Brian Peck in Growing Pains where Leonardo DiCaprio grabbed his shoulders and ran. [his hand] along his arm. That’s the kind of behavior I saw him with my son. Same crazy behavior.”
Despite attempts to report Peck to production, Joe claimed he was “banned.” He said he was “retiring” for the sake of his son’s career.
In 2003, Peck was accused of molesting a child. He spent 16 months in prison after being convicted of a lewd act against a child and oral copulation of a person under 16. According to unsealed court documents seen in the docuseries, Peck received letters of support from several Growing pains stars included Alan Dikke And Johanna Kerns. In a statement to ID, Kerns, 71, said she “would never have written” the letter if she had known of the “complete misinformation” she had been given.
The identity of the child in the case against Peck remained anonymous at the time. Drake has since come forward as the person who reported Peck to authorities. He spoke about his experiences for the first time in the docuseries.
“The abuse was extensive and it became quite brutal. I really don’t know how to work that out on camera,” he said. “Why don’t you do this? Why don’t you consider the worst things someone can do to someone as an assault and that will answer your question. I don’t know how else to say it. It wasn’t a one-off.”
Quiet on the set: the dark side of children’s television airs on ID Sunday, March 17 and Monday, March 18 at 9pm ET.
We weekly has contacted Peck and DiCaprio for comment.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).