Leonardo DiCaprio: My Life Is Nothing Like The Great Gatsby

Leonardo DiCaprio might be photographed with beautiful women on yachts or partying with friends at clubs, but in reality, the 38-year-old star is more focused on his career, environmental causes and being surrounded by his loved ones – especially the ones who call him “Uncle Leo.”

Access Hollywood sat down with the actor at the junket for his latest film, “The Great Gatsby,” where he plays the iconic character Jay Gatsby – something he was very nervous about doing.

”[It’s one of the] most beloved novels of all time. It is a great piece of American literature and everyone has their own personal connection with these characters and these people and they have their own interpretation of Gatsby,” he said. “It’s intimidating going into a process where you’re going to make a film adaptation of something that is this intricate complex and beloved worldwide because you’re almost setting yourself up for disaster.”

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Leo, who has dated a slew of beautiful women over the years (including Victoria’s Secret model Erin Heatherton, Blake Lively, Bar Refaeli and Gisele Bundchen), recently made headlines after being photographed partying (in a very Jay Gatsby-esque way) on a yacht with bikini-clad women – but all that was just for work.

”[My life] is not like that all the time, nope. Not even close,” he said of being seen filming the upcoming Martin Scorsese-directed “The Wolf of Wall Street” on a yacht filled with women. “I mean that, that’s nothing like my life, no.”

Instead, the actor and environmentalist told Access that in addition to making movies, he’s looking “to make a profound difference in the world of ecology.”

“Ever since I can remember I wanted to be an actor and I was fascinated by nature and the protection of very unique endangered species and the utopias around the world… that’s a lot of the work I’m doing with my foundation right now,” he explained of his work off the big screen.

Another important part of his life are his loved ones.

“The people that have been a part of my life for a long time… they keep me humble, my parents certainly do, my friends certainly do and they constantly remind me of how fortunate I am,” he told Access. “It’s really those relationships, to tell you the truth, that have kept me very appreciative of all this.”

That includes his “Gatsby” co-star and longtime friend Tobey Maguire and his two kids, daughter Ruby, 6 and son Otis, 3, who affectionately refer to the actor as “Uncle Leo.”

“I have a great relationship with them, they’re the best, those kids,” Leo added.

“The Great Gatsby” opens on May 10.

— Jesse Spero

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