The Rise And Rise Of Leonardo
     
Hollywood's hottest Romeo has shot to the top, thanks to the runaway succes of the epic disaster movie Titanic.
Hollywood's newest superstar Leonardo DiCaprio is blinking uneasily in the glare of fame, unsure if he wants to sacrifice his privacy in the wake of his success as the leading man in Titanic. He didn't realise that playing the hero in America's most expensive movie ever would change his life quite so rapidly and profoundly. Now the extravganza has been released, Leonardo is being bombarded with scripts and $17 million salary offers, dogged by fans, staked out by reporters and stalked by squealing girls ready to rip the shirt off the back of the handsome 23-year-old, who still lives at home with his mum. "I've always wanted to be a success, but I'm not sure I like this level of attention. It's overwhelming," he says. "It's not like people attacking you with butcher knives, but it's scary just the same. One minute I was just an average actor getting good parts - not too noticable. Now I'm being propelled to the top of the mountain and everyone wants to have a piece of me."
Tony Brenna, NZ Women's Weekly, 12 Jan 1998