10 Things You Didn't Know About Leonardo DiCaprio

7. Vladimir Putin Once Called Him "A Real Man"

Vladimir Putin Leonardo Di Caprio 2010 11 24 3 50 3

It's not exactly an accolade to be proud of, given that Vladimir Putin - in a lot of people's view, anyway - is considered to be the scourge of the Earth. But having Putin call you a "real man" (or as he put it in Russian - a "muzhik") is certainly a notable happening.

How did this somewhat surreal situation present itself, then?

After Leonardo DiCaprio arrived in St. Petersburg to attend a summit on saving tigers, Putin personally approached the actor - whose journey to the city had been something of a nightmare due to several delayed and cancelled flights - and declared him a "real man" for making the extra effort to appear.

"I would like to thank you for coming despite all the obstacles," Russian's President told Leo DiCaprio as the two men joined forces to help save a bunch of tigers (not your everyday sentence). "A person with less stable nerves could have decided against coming, could have read it as a sign - that it was not worth going."
Contributor

Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.