Leonardo DiCaprio: The Q Interview

After a long absence from the screen, Leonardo DiCaprio, 28, is back this month with the openings of Martin Scorsese's controversial Gangs of New York and Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can. He made his name a decade ago with an Oscar-nominated performance in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and became an international star with Titanic. Other films in which he has starred include The Beach and William Shakespeare's Romeo+Juliet. DiCaprio, who now commands $20m per appearance, is single and lives in the Hollywood Hills.

Gangs of New York was shot in Rome. Did you like the city?

It's pretty much the coolest city in the world. I spent nine months there, and every weekend I'd go to a different museum or historical site. I went to Pompeii, which is like the most unbelievable place. I loved the food, too. Rome is the man's Paris.

I'm sorry?

It's a little more dirty, a little more rugged, a little more edgy, but it's got just as much, if not more historical significance.

This film has been two years in the making. Was that frustrating?

No, because I know that is Marty's [Scorsese's] process. He's a perfectionist, obsessed with detail, and that's why he went over budget and over schedule. The only downside for me is that I spent six months working out five times a week to get ready for the role and then it got postponed for another seven months, so I had to continue working out ...

Was that a hardship?

I hate, hate, hate going to the gym. It is my least favourite thing to do on the planet. It doesn't do anything for me. It doesn't make me any happier, that's for sure.

What's Scorsese like?

That guy lives and breathes film – that's what his whole life is about. Anything you talk to him about reverts back to something in a scene from a movie. I mean, you tell him a childhood story, and he says, "Reminds me of the movie Shoeshine by DeSica in 1934. The scene ..."

Why haven't we seen you for a while?

I think that post-Titanic I needed to take time off and reflect ... well, perhaps not reflect, but figure things out. I needed to learn to hear my own voice in choosing the roles that I wanted to do, and really figure out where I wanted to go. If any one of these movies that I'm doing now had come along during that time period, I would have done them, but they didn't.

Was Titanic a double-edged sword for you?

Titanic was something different that I wanted to try. I never came into the experience saying, "Now's my time to be the biggest young movie star in the world." That wasn't my intention. It was chosen as a different type of work experience, a thing in my career I wanted to try at least once, and it just happened to be a mega-success – and, all of a sudden, that's what people associated me with. But that's fine. I love the movie, and I am certainly reaping the benefits. Gangs would have never been financed if Titanic hadn't come out.

So, have you ever read anything about yourself in the newspapers that wasn't true?

No! Never! Are you kidding?!

What about you and Tobey Maguire partying it up with the [New York socialite] Hilton sisters?

The Hilton sisters? That's a prime example of newspaper truth. We're not the Hilton sisters' friends.

What are your hobbies?

I collect a lot of silly things – movie memorabilia, movie posters, old comics, underground comics, a lot of art: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Robert Williams, Mark Ryder.

What drives you?

I love the work. I love being able to get into different characters' minds and become a different person. Each movie is a unique experience and an education in a different way. It's almost like it's been my college. That's what it's been like ever since I was 16 and did This Boy's Life.

Does the fact that you look younger than 28 concern you?

It's been beneficial for me as an actor, being able to play a character that's 16, but I don't think I look 16 any more. I'm not trying to rush to make any big transition into adult roles though – things like that happen naturally. There's plenty of time for me to play older men.

How do you handle the fame?

It's out of my control. I'm not going to live my life ducking the paparazzi, or getting out of being in the gossip columns – I'm going to do whatever I'm going to do. The only time I comment on myself is when I'm promoting a movie. Other than that, I try to lay low.

'Gangs of New York' opens on 10 January. 'Catch Me if You Can' opens on 31 January