Amy Adams claims her $352 million film with Leonardo DiCaprio almost destroyed her career before she became Man of Steel’s heartthrob: “I did a series of really bad auditions.”

Moviegoers around the world were interested to learn Leonardo DiCaprio’s opinion on working with his co-star Tom Hanks and renowned filmmaker Steven Spielberg after the release of Catch Me If You Can in 2002. Unknown to many moviegoers at the time, Amy Adams, who would go on to become one of the most outstanding actors of her generation, was also in the movie.

Adams has been on a journey since her role in Catch Me If You Can that has brought her into contact with famous people like Christian Bale and allowed her to work with them on projects. But before she became the well-known movie star she is today, Adams struggled to figure out what she wanted to do with her life after the movie.

Amy Adams’ career stalled with the Leonardo DiCaprio film.

In contrast to predictions, Amy Adams originally experienced a professional lull following her performance in Catch Me If You Can. She made no film or television appearances in 2003. Her career stalled in 2004, which turned out to be an equally difficult year for her. Adams’ fortunes started to change in 2005, though, after she was nominated for an Oscar and made prominent cameos in The Office episodes.

Adams may have quickly vanished into obscurity if it weren’t for the extraordinary acclaim and Oscar nomination she garnered for her compelling performance in Junebug. Adams openly acknowledged the terrible time she went through after her performance in Catch Me If You Can in a 2013 interview with Elle UK, underlining the challenges she faced in her career at the time.

“I gasped. I had pressure to perform at a level as an actress that I didn’t feel capable of. I performed a string of awful auditions because I let my anxieties get the better of me. And for a few years after that, the refrain was “I can’t do this.” I’m not resilient enough to endure this degree of rejection. “What am I going to do with my life?” was the question. I was looking at number 30. I felt perplexed and lost.

Fearful of working with Steven Spielberg, Amy Adams

Amy Adams has primarily played the lead in a number of smaller projects prior to her turn in Catch Me If You Can. She had not, however, had the opportunity to work with people of the stature and renown of Steven Spielberg and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Given these facts, it’s simple to imagine the uncertainty Adams would have experienced while accepting her role in Catch Me If You Can. However, it appears from Adams’ recollections of her experiences making the movie that she had a remarkable and rewarding experience.

“Steven Spielberg is a much more terrifying notion than the actual guy. He’s really sweet. Who are you here to see? was the overwhelming question as you approached the gates. Steven Spielberg, I suppose? It just seems like, “This is not my life.