This interview is taken from a magazine called HOT!

Leonardo DiCaprio just cant't keep dry. He threw himself into a swimming pool in Romeo and Juliet and now he's doing crawl in Titanic.

Leonardo, how are you handling becoming Hollywood's hugest hearthrob?

Oh, I can't handle it anymore! (Laughs). It's terrible! (Makes faces).

Do you think you've changed as a person since you became successful?

Oh yeah, I know I've changed. You can't help it. Your mind starts working in a different way. You feel watched and scrutinized by people. For instance, when I would light up a cigarette, you'd immediately report it in your magazine. So I don't anymore!

Does it bother you what people think of you?

To tell you the truth, I don't think much about what people think of me but I know they look at me and form their opinion. I don't want to constantly create an image of myself. I know how people respond to me, what I have to do, so they would like me. I guess, everybody does, but when you're famous, it's still different. I try to avoid phoney attitudes, I hate that. Whenever I notice myself doing something just to please somebody else, I stop it. When I'm aware of it. Sometimes you con't even know. That's scary!

You've been rumoured to have been dating everyone from Alicia Silverstone to Claire Danes to Kate Winslet...

What can I tell you? I'm obsessed with women! (Laughs) If you ever heard a rumour about me, check back with me . Chances are, it's completely fabricated and I haven't heard of it! But at the end of the day, I know I'v had a lot more fun being famous than I would have had otherwise. The attention I'm getting, and get-ting to go out with gorgeous girls, and having people I respect admire me, hey, that's not bad for a kid from East Hollywood!

Do you think fame made you wilder?

I have always been wild! I have always been spontaneous and outgoing. I've got some life experience because I treid things out. I've done in movies stuff I've never done before, not even home alone! Some whacked-out stuff! Most of the guys I've played have been a bit odd-apart from Romeo....he only killed himself!

What has been your favourite role?

Well, there was Arnie, the troubled kid in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. He was total honesty. He wouldn't be afraid to speak his mind about anything. I learned a lot from him. People filter out a lot of stuff that's true, which I suppose is necessary to live. But with a totaly honest person, you find they have their own rules.

What about playing Romeo?

Well, at first, I wasn't sure about doing it. I didn't want to run around in tights swinging a sword around, reciting verses. But the director didn't want to take no for an answer. He invited me to come to Australia and stay with him for a week to get acquainted with his vision. I'm glad I did. Itworked out all right, eh?

You're very anti-drugs, aren't you?

I think half of the reason I did The Basketball Diaries was because of the whole heroin craze, so I was making some kind of a statement against heroin. It wasn't as if I was doing a "Say No To Drugs" special or something like that, but it was a statement against drug use. If one of my friends got into drugs, he would hear from me. But then, people confused me with the part and came up with all these stories about me, being in rehab, having a heroin habit... I don't.I have never done drugs in my life and I don't intend to try them out.

I think people just want to push the River Phoenix mantle upon you. Did you ever meet him?

Actually, no, though something quite weird happened once. I was at a Halloween party in 1993, at the house of the Setwin actors in Los Angeles. I remember, it was really dark and everyone was drunk. I was passing through this crowded room, people everywhere, like bumper on bumper. I saw this guy wearing a mask and I suddenly knew it was River Phoenix. I wanted to meet him, say, "hello". There was this great mystery about him. We've never met before. I thought he wouldn't blow me off because I have done stuff by then that was worth watching. But then, I got caught in a lane of traffic and slid right past him. The next thing I knew, River had died. That same night.

Does it sometimes feel to you the world is waiting for you to fall, too?

Of course. Yeah, it definitely does. You know how it is - scandal sells. They made up stuff about me, going to clubs, wrecking myself silly, sleeping with all the ratty girls there. Well, I have female friends, but they're just my friends. Can't I have friends? You know, it's so much more interesting to hear of an actor who does drugs on the side than of one who goes to work for 15 hours a day!

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