Leo Lets Loose In Esquire

Images courtesy of Esquire / Nigel Parry

Leonardo DiCaprio graces the March 2010 cover of Esquire Magazine, and as much as we enjoy staring at pictures of the handsome and talented actor, reading what he has to say is just as captivating.

Leo chats about everything from his childhood ("I was the most insane child you can imagine, pretty intolerable to be around") to his nude scene with Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road ("It may seem strange to do a sex scene with a woman while her husband is directing. But it didn't feel that way to me"), but there were a few things he revealed that were totally new to us.

On the night River Phoenix died:

"When I was eighteen, River Phoenix was far and away my hero. Think of all those early great performances — My Own Private Idaho. Stand by Me. I always wanted to meet him. One night, I was at this Halloween party, and he passed me. He was beyond pale — he looked white. Before I got a chance to say hello, he was gone, driving off to the Viper Room, where he fell over and died ... That's a lesson."

On Meryl Streep being the greatest actor in the world:

"When I sat in the theater, it was, Oh, my God, she's the only person who looks completely natural. She's the only person who has actually made her character into a real human being who would have an erratic moment because those erratic moments are what make you more human. That was a huge moment of discovery. Meryl may be the greatest actor in the world."

On being an actor and proving himself:

"Probably the only thing I knew with complete clarity was that I wanted to be an actor. But there was a lot of rejection early on, and so it never felt like, Hey, I've got something here. There was always an element of me that needed to prove something to myself. It's something I don't want to get rid of, because it's what drives me. I'm never settled and I'm never satisfied."

And we won't be satisfied until he gets an Oscar! Maybe Christopher Nolan's Inception will do the trick?