Softer, gentler, a little more grown up.
Certainly Leonardo DiCaprio has his flaws and like most celebrities he can’t help but be a hypocrite on some level. At the very least though, as it relates to privacy and ulterior motives, unlike Shelf Ass and Pipsqueak, when Leo says he abhors the paps, he truly does abhor the paps. He truly does go out of his way to stay away.
For someone as famous as he is, and he is VERY famous, there are precious few candid pictures taken far apart and very infrequently, quite an accomplishment when you consider the success of Titanic. He was hunted, he was idolised, he was pushed into a hearthrobby little box and he managed to bust out.
So as far as child stars go, Leo is certainly an exception.
Speaking to Parade Magazine, Leo attributes all of this to his parents:
“All I have left are my parents. I know that if one of them had been any different, it would have sent my life into a spiral of misunderstandings and insecurities about the world and about the relationships I have. Ninety percent of the people I meet are dealing with issues they can’t overcome because of bad parenting. That’s the truth.
There’s that side of you that says, ‘Time to get over the hurt and move on. It’s hard to do. So you just hang on to the emotion that this one didn’t love me, or why didn’t that relationship last? That stuff stays with you forever. You want to say, ‘Get over yourself! Come on! Time to grow up!’ Some people are able to do that, but a lot of us remain victims of it. So I was fortunate with my parents. Without them, I would never have been able to be as level-headed as I am, considering everything that’s happened to me.”
Having said that, even though he prefers the path of the actor over the movie star, unlike that f&cking ingrate Katherine Heigl, Leo ultimately appreciates what Titanic brought him:
“I am proud to have been in Titanic. I’m grateful for the possibilities it’s given me. If it hadn’t been for that movie, I wouldn’t have been able to take control of my career. It was during that time that I started to think about things that meant more to the world than this glorified, superficial media exposure of me, something I never felt was justified.”
With great power comes great responsibility, right?
And professionally too, Leonardo made choices that allowed him to actually mine his own talent for more than an epic romance. Even if you hate him, you have to admire that he doesn’t make sh-t. He carefully picks and chooses his projects, he doesn’t release a film every 6 months, and the result has been a very impressive resumé:
"When I choose to do any movie, I certainly take into account the values it expresses. I like to think that I choose a film on more than just the opportunity to work with a certain director or group of actors. When I read a script, I look for a certain amount of truth about humanity in the storyline. That's what I respond to. That's why I've done the movies I've done, and that's why I've steered away from other types of projects. What I respond to are fundamentally truthful characters, and to a script that says something pertinent and honest about the world we live in. And I can't help responding that way."
For a Parade article, it’s actually a rather insightful interview. Leo speaks candidly about losing his grandmother, about love and relationships and yes…
He alludes to the end of his Pussy Posse era, admitting that the days when he said he’d never settle down are now over. That he does see marriage in his future. That it was immature to say in the past that he’d never ever settle down. That love is all important.
Makes my smutty sense tingle. Did losing Gisele Bundchen change his player ways? I think so, yes.
You?
Yum. I think he needs to go back on The Freebie Five.
To read the full article and see the photos, click here.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008 at 9:03 AM
