The Oscar-nominated star says he’d love to play the Russian president in a film – here we go through quotes from the two men and understand why it might just work
One’s an incredibly talented award-winning Hollywood A-lister, the other is a bare-chested martial arts champion who also happens to be president of Russia. So far, so different. But it looks like Vladimir Putin and Leonardo DiCaprio have more in common than you think.
In a recent interview with German newspaper Die Welt, DiCaprio described Putin as “very, very, very interesting”, before going on to say that he’d “love to play him”. As it turns out, DiCaprio and Putin have history when it comes to mutual love-ins.
In 2010, the Russian President described DiCaprio as a “real man” for attending a St Petersburg summit on the preservation of wild tigers, despite struggling with repeated transport issues. Speaking at the summit, Putin spotted the actor in the audience and broke off from his prepared address to say that “a person with less stable nerves could have decided against coming, could have read it as a sign – that it was not worth going.”
We thought we’d do a little research to find out whether #LeoVlad2016 is really a thing. Of course, they’re both sex symbols – one internationally, one just in Russia. They don’t make sexy calendars for all world leaders, after all. In the wake of Leo’s revelation that he’d like to take Vlad on as a role, here we comb over and compare some quotes from the two men to understand why DiCaprio may not have work too hard to get into character.
BOTH LIKE SEX A LOT
“I do not remember. But I remember exactly when I did the last time. I can identify up to a minute.” Putin (asked when the last time he had sex was.)
“When you’re my age and your hormones are kicking in, there's not much besides sex that's on your mind”. Leo
Despite being two of the most influential people in the world, Leo and Vlad do find time in their busy schedules for some sexy time.
THEY’RE BOTH WORKAHOLICS
“I have worked like a galley slave throughout these eight years, morning till night, and I have given all I could to this work. I am happy with the results”. Putin
“I am a bit drained.I'm now going to take a long, long break. I've done three films in two years and I'm just worn out. I would like to improve the world a bit. I will fly around the world doing good for the environment.” Leo
Whether you’re annexing long-forgotten former parts of the USSR or endlessly chasing Oscar glory, being Leo-Vlad is hard work. Sure, most so-called ‘galley slaves’ don’t have access to 20 palaces, 58 aircraft and a flotilla of yachts, and being a Hollywood A-lister isn’t as draining as, say, working a shitty bar job to support yourself through multiple unpaid internships. But Leo-Vlad want you to know that even they get burnout too, just like the rest of us.
BOTH COME FROM MODEST BACKGROUNDS
“I was brought up in a very ordinary family, in fact, a worker's family. Both my father and mother were ordinary citizens.” Putin
“I was brought up without much money and I was happy. I don't think that I will strive for money or success and end up greedy or big-headed. That only leads to unhappiness. I can still be down-to-earth and do this job as long as I enjoy it.” Leo
This is kind of reassuring – Leo-Vlad are just like us really.
THEY LOVE ANIMALS
“The more I know about people, the more I like dogs. I simply like animals.” Putin
“I like to help the whales, the otters, and the dolphins. When I`m acting and I take a break, the first thing on my list is spending time by the sea.” Leo
This is a pretty major one. Leo-Vlad are massive animal lovers. Maybe, in a parallel universe, where LGBT people didn’t face rampant persecution in Russia, Leo-Vlad are some sort of St Petersburg glam couple with matching shih tzus.
LEO AND VLAD HAVE BIG EGOS
“I am the King of the world.” Leo
"I am the wealthiest man, not just in Europe, but in the whole world. I collect emotions." Putin
Okay, so Leo didn’t actually say the first thing (it’s from Titanic). But the second quote is legit, offering up scary glimpses of a possible project – Putin: The Emotions Collector, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
I hope that just once, on one of his flotilla of super-yachts in the Black Sea, Putin flung his arms out and felt the wind on his shiny head, and shouted “I’M THE KING OF THE WORLD”.
Now that’s something I’d like to see.