Stephen Graham Says He Was Afraid of Breaking Leonardo DiCaprio’s Leg in Golf Cart Crash: ‘We Were Like the Flintstones’

Stephen Graham narrowly avoided giving Leonardo DiCaprio a major injury that could’ve shut down production on Gangs of New York.

The Adolescence star and co-creator recalled how he “got in trouble for a little bit” shortly after meeting DiCaprio on the set of Martin Scorsese’s 2002 epic drama, during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Wednesday, March 19.

“Leo used to drive a golf cart — you know, the way they drive golf carts on big sets and stuff. So I asked him for a go; I was like, ‘Can I have a go on the golf cart?’ ” Graham, 51, told host Jimmy Fallon.

“And he was like, ‘Uh … yeah, okay,’ ” the English actor added.

As the two and their costar Alec McCowen, who was seated in the back, were driving the cart around Cinecittà Studios in Rome, they reached the top of a “big hill.”

“And golf carts aren’t that fast, are they? But going downhill, they are,” said the English actor. “I floored it … we were like the Flintstones, basically.”

While attempting to clear the hill, “All of a sudden — you know how when you knock a golf cart into reverse and it takes its time? Well, if you knock it into reverse when you’re going quite fast, the back wheels lock,” Graham told Fallon, 50.

“So as the back wheels lock, I’ve turned it, and as I’ve turned it, the whole thing’s just started to fall,” he continued. “But a golf cart falling is kind of slow motion it itself, so it’s falling really slowly.”

As for DiCaprio, 50, he may have had regrets about letting his costar drive the cart in the first place.

“He’s looking at me and he’s going, ‘What the f—?’ ” Graham recalled. “And the next minute, as it’s falling, it looks like it’s gonna break his leg.”

But luckily, DiCaprio “just manage(d) to get out of the way,” the Irishman actor continued, and they were all able to clear the falling cart and escape serious injury.

“Then Alec, who’s a lovely lad … he [tells me], ‘You’re an animal!’ ” Graham added. “And so my nickname became Ani.”

Adolescence is now streaming on Netflix.