Leonardo DiCaprio Pictures in GQ Australia Magazine

Leonardo DiCaprio is back in Sydney to re-shoot scenes for The Great Gatsby, so it’s great timing that the new issue of GQ Australia, starring the handsome Leo on the cover as shot by Craig McDean, is now on sale. Leo’s return to Oz means he was unable to attend the SAG Awards yesterday — he was nominated in the best male actor category for his portrayal in J. Edgar, but the honour went to The Artist’s Jean Dujardin. In his GQ interview, Leo — who is rumoured to make an appearance at the AACTA Awards tonight — talks about his direction ambitions and which movie of his he wants people to see. Leo said:

• On achieving movie greatness: “My introduction to acting in films was with De Niro in This Boy’s Life. When I got the part I was 15 . . . I obsessively watched films on VHS, and remember feeling so overwhelmed by what had been done in cinema already. Watching a young Brando or James Dean or Montgomery Clift, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, how can anyone ever hope to achieve that type of greatness?’
• On which of his movies he wants audiences to see: “The Aviator. I’d wanted to play Howard Hughes for 10 years and was around for multiple rewrites. Michael Mann was on it at one point. And finally Scorsese got involved. I was very proud of that movie. It was the first film where I felt inherently like a partner.”
• On directing: “I do [want to direct]. And if I did direct, I would try to have the same no-bullsh*t approach to it as Clint [Eastwood] and his crew have. Seriously, there are no frills on his set. It’s a small, tight-knit crew.”