--- description: "Putin would be very, very, very interesting" title: Leonardo DiCaprio Would Love to Play Vladimir Putin in Movie image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2953ae0ac1bec5ba/69887992a988ca37dc6b62af/lenardo-dicaprio-vladimir-putin.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [celebrities](/tag/celebrities/) ## celebrities Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Leonardo DiCaprio 'Would Love' to Play Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Movie by [Michael Miller / People](/author/people/) ## Michael Miller / People Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 19, 2016 12:19 PM CUT  Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (L) speaks with Leonardo DiCaprio after a concert to mark the International Tiger Conservation Forum at the Mikhailovsky theater in Saint Petersburg on Nov. 23, 2010. Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (L) speaks with Leonardo DiCaprio after a concert to mark the International Tiger Conservation Forum at the Mikhailovsky theater in Saint Petersburg on Nov. 23, 2010.Alexey Druzhnin— RIA-NOVOSTI/AFP/Getty Images by [Michael Miller / People](/author/people/) ## Michael Miller / People Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 19, 2016 12:19 PM CUT If there’s ever a movie made about Russian president Vladimir Putin, [Leonardo DiCaprio](http://www.people.com/people/leonardo%5Fdicaprio "undefined") wants the starring role. “Putin would be very, very, very interesting, I would love to play him,” DiCaprio told Germany’s [_Welt am Sonntag_](http://www.welt.de/kultur/kino/article151082221/Ich-wuerde-gerne-Putin-spielen.html "undefined"). [_The Revenant_](http://www.people.com/article/leonardo-dicaprio-graces-uk-premiere-after-revenant-dominates-oscar "undefined") actor met Putin in 2010 at a conference on protecting the Siberian tiger. “My foundation has provided financial support for several projects for the protection of these big cats. Putin and I talked only about the protection of these magnificent animals, not politics,” DiCaprio explained, according to [International Business Times](http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/leonardo-dicaprio-admits-he-would-love-play-russian-president-vladimir-putin-1538356 "undefined"). At the meeting, Putin gave the actor his manly seal of approval, praising DiCaprio for attending the meeting despite flying through some bad weather. “A person with less stable nerves could have decided against coming, could have read it as a sign – that it was not worth going,” Putin said, adding that DiCaprio is a “muzhik” or “real man,” the [_Los Angeles Times_](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2010/11/vladimir-putin-gives-leonardo-dicaprio-high-marks-at-russian-tiger-summit.html "undefined") reports. DiCaprio, who has two Russian grandparents, told _Welt am Sonntag_ he’s also interested in portraying prominent leaders from the country’s history. “Lenin, too, would be an interesting film role. I would \[like\] to play Rasputin too. I believe that there should be more movies about Russian history,” he told the newspaper. “Russia unites so many stories almost of Shakespearean character. For an actor, it’s extremely exciting,” he said. DiCaprio is [currently nominated](http://www.people.com/article/leonardo-dicaprio-revenant-win-oscar-video "undefined") for a best actor Oscar for his role in _The Revenant_. 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