CANOE Network
 



Leonardo DiCaprio

Wednesday, February 6, 2002

Leo DiCaprio asks teens for help



"Titanic" heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio is reaching out to teens and young adults through MTV.

The actor, who next appears on the big screen in "Gangs Of New York," wrote an open letter for MTVnews.com that speaks out against oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.


"Our country buys $60 billion worth of foreign oil per year," reads Leo's letter. "We burn 20 million barrels of the stuff every day. We use 25 percent of the world's crude oil, but we have only 3 percent of the world's oil reserves. This makes us heavily dependent on foreign oil o a dependence that has led to dire consequences."

"As a quick fix, some members of Congress are trying to pass legislation that would open our own Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling at the risk of destroying this national treasure. They claim that drilling in the refuge is in the interest of national security and patriotism. Don't be fooled."

Leo's letter goes on to explain a few ways individuals can help his cause.

According to TV Guide Online, Leonardo has also agreed to answer or respond to questions posed by MTV Online readers. You can find out more on Leonardo's environmental interests on his official website: leonardodicaprio.com.

--AllPop


Friday, May 25, 2001

Leonardo the con artist

Leonardo DiCaprio's next film is starting to move ahead.

Lasse Hallstrom ("Chocolat") is in talks to direct "Catch Me If You Can", a true story about a con artist named Frank Abagnale Jr, zap2it.com reports.

"Catch" follows the story of Abagnale's (played by Leonardo) life. The con man made the FBI's 10 most wanted list in the 1960s after he wrote millions of dollars worth of bad checks and impersonated various people, including pretending to be a co-pilot, a doctor, and the assistant attorney general of Louisiana.

The movie was originally expected to begin filming after Leonardo was finished with Martin Scorsese's "Gangs Of New York" and before the possible strike. But "Gangs" ran into several delays, and now "Catch" won't begin shooting until March 2002.

Meanwhile, "Gangs" is expected to be released late this year. It is being described by Leonardo's official website as "An epic drama that chronicles the criminal exploits of gang members, outlaws, crooked cops and corrupt politicians who flourished in New York City's underworld in the middle of the 19th Century."

The website, www.leonardodicaprio.com, has also posted photos from the film.

--AllPop


Tuesday, December 12, 2000

Leo being sued

Leonardo DiCaprio is being sued for $45 million in damages over a street fight.

The lawsuit stems from an incident in March 1998 when Leo saw screenwriter/actor Roger Wilson on a date with Elizabeth Berkley ("Saved By the Bell"), zap2it.com reports.

The fight reportedly started over the actress when Leo asked some of his friends to approach Wilson and Berkley. His friends are accused of starting to beat up Wilson after he asked them to stop interfering with Berkley.

Now, Leo is being charged with "aiding and abetting an assault and battery".

The assault charges were originally dismissed in a lower court decision. Although the appeals court upheld that decision, DiCaprio is still being charged with "aiding and abetting" because he shouted encouragement at his friends, which arguably later led to Wilson's beating.

--AllPop


Wednesday, July 5, 2000

DiCaprio upset over release of film

There's a new Leonardo DiCaprio film coming but the young heartthrob isn't happy about it.

"Don's Plum" which was made several years ago, also stars "Pleasantville's" Tobey Maguire and is about to be distributed, Film Unlimited reports.

The two stars went to court last year to try to prevent the release of the movie to American and Canadian cinemas. They claimed they didn't know during filming that the indie movie was planned for a commercial release.

Producer David Stutman, claimed that Tobey wasn't comfortable with the film because he thought he didn't portray his role as strongly as Leo had and that a few comments he threw in the film could affect his public image.

Leo was rumoured to have liked the movie but decided to support his friend and joined Tobey's team in an effort to prevent distribution.

"Maguire and DiCaprio decided to stop the film for their own egomaniacal purposes," Stutman said.

The film will probably be released soon as it's been purchased by the Zentropa studio.

"We are adding the finishing touches to the movie right now and expect it to be complete around August 1," said a spokesperson for the studio.

The film is rumoured to feature "steamy" scenes that include both Leo and Tobey as well as a few of their friends.

--AllPop