Leonardo DiCaprio may have celebrated his 50th birthday last November, but in his mind, he is still living life as if he were in his early thirties.
In a candid conversation with director Paul Thomas Anderson for the Esquire UK Autumn 2025 issue, the Academy Award-winning actor revealed that age has brought him a stronger sense of honesty and urgency. Anderson, who is directing DiCaprio in the upcoming film One Battle After Another, asked the actor to quickly answer how old he felt if he did not know his actual age.
“Thirty-two,” DiCaprio replied without hesitation.
A Career and Public Image Under the Spotlight
DiCaprio, whose acclaimed film credits include Titanic, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Romeo + Juliet, has long been a fixture in both Hollywood and tabloid headlines. His personal life, particularly his high-profile relationships, has been a frequent subject of public fascination. He has dated several well-known figures, including Camila Morrone, Blake Lively, Naomi Campbell, and Rihanna, with much media attention on the fact that many of his relationships ended before his partners turned 25.
His first widely publicized romance was with Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen, which began in 1999 when he was 24 and she was 18. The couple split in 2005.
A New Perspective on Life and Time
When asked whether reaching 50 had prompted reflection, DiCaprio acknowledged that it had.
“It creates a feeling like you have a desire to just be more honest and not waste your time,” he said. “I can only imagine how the next few decades are going to progress. I look at my mother, for example, and she just says exactly what she thinks and wastes no time. She spends no time trying to fake it.”
For DiCaprio, that mindset translates into all areas of life. “Being more up front and risking having things fall apart—or risking disagreements or separation from any type of relationship, whether personal or professional—it’s that you just don’t want to waste your time anymore,” he explained.
The actor added that with more of life behind him than ahead, the responsibility to live authentically feels greater. “It’s almost a responsibility,” he said. “Because much more of your life is behind you than it is ahead of you.”
As he steps into his sixth decade, DiCaprio appears committed to approaching both his career and personal relationships with the same clarity and directness he now values.
