Leonardo DiCaprio says ‘Titanic’ allowed him to take control of his career

The “Titanic” star who will turn 40 next year says he is really proud of the 1997 blockbuster film and it has actually helped him take control of his career.

“You know, it’s been such a long time, but it was such, you know, a huge part of my life,” DiCaprio, 39, told Gayle King during his recent appearance at CBS “This Morning,” according to a report by Yahoo News. “And people maybe think I have a reaction to that film. But the truth is I’m incredibly proud of it. And not only that, the movie has really made me be in control of my career.”

The film directed by James Cameron became a big hit not just at home but all over the world. It made a then record-breaking $343.6 million worldwide and won the Oscar for Best Picture. DiCaprio starred alongside Kate Winslet in “Titanic.”
DiCaprio did a surprise cameo on “Saturday Night Live,” parodying the famous scene from “Titanic,” with his “Wolf of Wall Street” co-star Jonah Hill.

Before “Titanic,” DiCaprio was mostly known for his role of a mentally handicapped boy in 1993’s “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” and despite the film huge popularity, he failed to bag an Oscar for it. But the Hollywood hunk says he wasn’t seeking one either, at the time.
“All I remember is being paralyzed with fear that I’d have to actually get up on that stage because somebody told me a billion people watch that show. And that’s the only thing that I really remember,” DiCaprio said, adding that filming a movie is a lot different than giving a live speech with the world watching you, because there are no cuts by the director.
The Italian-American actor also recalled how someone once suggested that he change his name to Lenny Williams, so it would sound less ethnic and he will be able to grab more roles. However, when he discussed the idea with his dad, he hated it.
Since “Titanic,” Leonardo has proven his metal in number of hits, including “The Departed” (2006), “Inception” (2010) and “The Great Gatsby” (2013).

He has also come a long way as a human being and has turned his attention to charitable work. His foundation has recently raised $3 million for Oceana to help protect endangered ocean habitat and marine life and has donated another $3 million to World Wildlife Fund to increase Nepal’s tiger population.