Leonardo DiCaprio has revealed that he would like to star as President Vladimir Putin. However, if a role as Russia’s current leader isn’t available, playing Lenin or Rasputin would do as well.
The 6-time-Oscar nominated actor told Germany’s daily Welt he could indeed imagine himself stepping into the Russian president’s shoes – cinema-wise, at least.
“Putin would be very, very, very interesting. I would like to play him,” DiCaprio said.
The Hollywood star, who is now basking in the success of his latest film, The Revenant, also recalled meeting Putin in 2010, when DiCaprio was attending the International Forum on Tiger Conservation in St. Petersburg.
“My fund has several projects aimed at financial support for protecting these wild cats [Siberia tigers],” DiCaprio said. “Putin and me spoke only about these magnificent animals, not about politics.”
Other personalities in Russia’s long-winded history have also captivated DiCaprio’s acting spirit, including the leader of Russia’s Communist revolution, Vladimir Lenin, and peasant-turned-emperor-shaman Grigori Rasputin.
“I think there should be more films about Russian history because it has many stories worthy of Shakespeare. That is fascinating for an actor,” he said. “Lenin also would be an interesting role. I would like also to star as Rasputin.”
Leonardo DiCaprio’s grandmother was Russian and the actor refers to himself as “half Russian.”
Earlier this month, photos of DiCaprio’s Russian doppelganger fascinated the web.