Entertainment

Leonardo DiCaprio reveals why he hides his face in public

He achieved worldwide fame in his early 20s following the success of Titanic.

But if Leonardo DiCaprio had it his way, he’d prefer to stay out of the spotlight as much as is reasonable.

DiCaprio, 51, has been named TIME’s Entertainer of the Year, and in an accompanying interview detailed his struggles with balancing being a widely-recognizable star with a desire to have some privacy.

‘It’s been a balance I’ve been managing my whole adult life,’ he said, ‘and still I’m not an expert. I think my simple philosophy is only get out there and do something when you have something to say, or you have something to show for it. Otherwise, just disappear as much as you possibly can.’

‘I was like, “OK, how do I have a long career? Because I love what I do, and I feel like the best way to have a long career is to get out of people’s face.”‘

The answer offers insight into why DiCaprio generally conceals his identity when he goes out in public.

Leonardo DiCaprio has suggested why he prefers going incognito when he’s out in public in an interview with TIME; pictured leaving his hotel at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s wedding

The handsome A-lister generally tries to conceal his identity in the day-to-day, but will showcase his famous face for work; pictured at a press conference for One Battle After Another in Mexico City

The Hollywood hunk seems to never be seen out in public without his identity concealed with the help of a hat and face mask.

DiCaprio started wearing the face mask during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has implemented the covering into his everyday wardrobe ever since.

The accessories have become such a part of his wardrobe that not even a star-studded wedding could stop him from bringing out his trusty hat.

While attending Jeff Bezos’s wedding to Lauren Sanchez earlier this year, DiCaprio was pictured with the cap firmly shoved over his face as he departed his hotel in a tuxedo.

But when duty calls, DiCaprio removes the face coverings for publicity events involving his work.

The A-lister catapulted to the stratosphere nearly 30 years ago after portraying third-class passenger Jack Dawson on Titanic.

The topic of fame and privacy is one DiCaprio has been asked about over the years.

DiCaprio reflected on losing his anonymity due to the film in a 2016 interview with Deadline, where he was asked if the benefits of fame made being instantly recognizable worth it.

‘Before Titanic, I had no conception of what any of that meant. It was shocking. People said, “Do you realize how big of a movie this is?” I said, “Yeah, it’s big. It’s a big movie.” They’re like, “No. No. No, it’s the biggest movie ever,” and I’m like, “Well, what does that mean? So it’s big.” They’re like, “No. No. No, you don’t get it. You don’t understand what this means.” I thought, okay, great, it made a lot of money, and people are seeing it.’

DiCaprio has been named TIME’s Entertainer Of The Year

DiCaprio was spotted arriving into the Venice airport, his head shielded with a hoodie and hat, ahead of the Bezos wedding

DiCaprio, pictured in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in November 2021, began to regularly incorporate a face mask after the health crisis

What followed was a shift from his craft.

‘My whole life became about things that weren’t about acting,’ he said of what occurred after Titanic. ‘Titanic was very much an experiment for Kate Winslet and I. We’d done all of these independent movies. I loved her as an actress and she said, ‘Let’s do this together, we can do this.’

‘We did it, and it became something that we could’ve never foreseen,’ he said. ‘We never predicted that it would be what it was, and I said, “Okay, slow down. Let all this pass a little bit, and let’s get back to…find something that…I knew it was going to be an adjustment. I knew there was an expectation of me to do a certain thing at that point, and I knew I had to get back to what my intentions were from the onset. ‘

Titanic became an instant hit with critics, and it currently holds a rating of 88 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Titanic also grossed nearly $2 billion during its initial period of release, although it has since passed that mark after being rereleased on several occasions.

The movie also held the distinction of being the highest-grossing film of all time for several years, although it was ultimately passed by the 2009 science fiction film Avatar, which was also directed by Cameron.

Titanic was put up for a total of 14 Academy Awards and won 11, including Best Picture.

Story by Daily Mail

Entertainment

The war of the exes?

Are Ben Affleck ‘s exes on bad terms? While both attended the 83rd Golden Globe Awards ceremony on the night of January 11-12, 2026, Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lopez reportedly didn’t cross paths. As reported by the Daily Mail , they didn’t pose together for the numerous photographers present. This apparent distance was enough to fuel rumors of tension between the two women.

But according to the British newspaper, there is actually no conflict between Ben Affleck’s two ex-wives, who reportedly decided not to appear together on the red carpet at the Beverly Hills Hilton for purely personal reasons. “They get along well, they’re cool with each other, there’s no problem,” a source told the magazine, adding that the two Jennifers were friends.

Their distance was reportedly a reason to protect their privacy and, above all, their respective children. “They don’t want to make headlines by posing together at an awards ceremony. It would be awkward. They don’t want to cause any trouble because it would be difficult for the children,” the source continued.

“A large, modern family”

So, no tension at all, quite the opposite in fact. Despite their respective divorces from Ben Affleck in 2018 and 2024, Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lopez have reportedly remained close and even see each other regularly. Indeed, their children, twins Max and Emme (17) – whom J-Lo shares with singer Marc Anthony – and Violet (20), Seraphina (17), and Samuel (13) – Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s children – “see each other often” and are particularly close. “I’m pretty sure they see each other about once a week because of the kids, and they talk on the phone, they’re co-parenting in a way, even though Jennifer Lopez divorced Ben Affleck,” the source told the Daily Mail . “They’re like one big modern family, which is nice. They’ve all been through solid therapy and understand the importance of getting along for the sake of the children.”

A few days earlier, Jennifer Garner had defended Jennifer Lopez, refusing to comment on her recent revealing photoshoot. “It doesn’t do me any good to absorb gossip about myself or anyone else, especially not about my children, so I don’t,” she commented in an interview with Marie Claire UK . No drama between the two women, then, but rather a genuine show of goodwill.

Madame Figaro

Entertainment

Hollywood, Bollywood and Arab stars shine

If you thought red carpets were dramatic, wait until Hollywood, Bollywood, and Arab superstars collide on Riyadh’s lavender carpet tonight.

The 6th Joy Awards is here, and Gulf News Manjusha Radhakrishnan will be there, front-row, keeping tabs on celebrity arrivals, jaw-dropping gowns, and every headline-making moment before it even hits your feed.

Held under the Riyadh Season umbrella and put together by the General Entertainment Authority, the Joy Awards has become way more than just an awards show. And yes, the lavender carpet — not the usual red — is part of the vibe. It’s a nod to Saudi identity: the purple wildflowers that bloom in the deserts, symbolising growth under Vision 2030, generosity, and a celebration of local heritage. Think of it as prestige with a cultural twist, giving the ceremony its own unmistakable look.

And did you know, the guest-list is a closely-guarded secret. Last year, that mix was next-level — Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Amanda Seyfried and Christina Aguilera all in one room. And while the Hollywood stars were turning heads, Egyptian cinema had its moment too, with Sons of Riz sweeping the public-voted categories.

Earlier editions have delivered their own surprises, with unexpected appearances from names like Matthew McConaughey, Alia Bhatt and Salman Khan, keeping audiences guessing until the very last minute.

This year, the first confirmations have already generated buzz. Nancy Ajram, the Arab world’s pop icon and a guaranteed crowd-puller, is among the stars officially announced, with expectations that more high-profile appearances will reveal themselves as the evening unfolds.

And yes — we’re low-key worried about the weather. Temperatures are expected to dip to 10°C, so gowns may need thermals, and blazers may need extra layers. If you spot someone on the lavender carpet looking like Joey Tribbiani wearing all of Chandler’s clothes, don’t worry — that’s just me, trying to survive in style. After all, nothing says “glamorous reporter” like three scarves, four jackets, and a questionable fashion choice that may or may not break social media.

While the ceremony itself will play out later in the night, the real tone is set much earlier. The lavender carpet is where fashion risks are taken, viral interviews are born, and the event finds its pulse long before trophies change hands.

Inside, the evening promises a slick, high-energy production, blending live performances with awards that reflect what audiences connected with most over the past year

Winners are determined entirely by public vote through the awards app, across six main categories: Music, Cinema, Drama Series, Directors, Sports and Influencers — keeping the results firmly in the hands of fans.

By the time the final award is announced, one thing is usually clear: the Joy Awards trades not just in trophies, but in moments.

Entertainment

Tunisian filmmaker wins $1 million

Tunisian filmmaker Zoubeir Jlassi on Saturday won the inaugural $1 million AI film award, launched in collaboration with Google’s Gemini, for his short movie, “Lily.”

He was declared the winner in a ceremony held during the second day of the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai where Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, presented the award.

The French-language short film, “Lily,” created entirely using Google’s generative AI tools — including Gemini, Veo 3, Imagen and Flow — was named after the filmmaker’s daughter, who inspired the story.

The nine-minute film follows a lonely archivist haunted by a doll caught on his car bumper during a hit-and-run accident, forcing him to confront his guilt, confess to the police, and reunite the doll with the injured child in the hospital.

“My daughter has a doll, which is also called Lily. This doll lived with us through our moments of grievances, joy, and victories,” Jlassi told Arab News.

He said the film, which took a month to complete, portrays the doll as the protagonist’s silent witness and secretkeeper, ultimately prompting his moral awakening and bringing him back to life. The film’s message, he added, is that routine can dull self-awareness, preventing people from confronting their own truths and taking responsibility for their mistakes.

“With this film, I hope to inspire aspiring filmmakers to dream, take ideas from their archives, execute them and share them on their own platforms without relying on large production budgets or expensive equipment,” he told Arab News.

“This is the beauty of technology; it unleashes creativity without limits.”

The winning film was selected from 3,500 film submissions from 16 countries, with organizers saying the award aimed to encourage the use of AI in producing meaningful films and enhance the creators’ ability to deliver humanitarian stories.

It also looked to empower young people to leverage technology in boosting their creativity and creating artworks that bridge cultures.

The shortlisting process took place over multiple stages. A jury of international technology experts and filmmakers selected 12 films based on the storytelling originality, narrative structure, visual aesthetics, creative use of AI technologies, overall creativity, emotional impact, and adherence to transparency and ethical principles.

The five finalists were selected after public voting of the works selected by the jury, organizers said.

Each film had to be powered by at least 70 percent generative AI tools from Google — including Veo, Imagen and Flow — or third-party platforms that run on Gemini’s technology. The tech company said that the entries underwent advanced technical assessment and AI verification to ensure submissions met the criteria.

The remaining finalists were “Portrait No. 72” by Rodson Verr Suarez of the Philippines; “Cats Like Warmth” by South Korean director Lee Su Yeol; “Heal” by Egyptian director Mohamed Gomaa; and “The Translator” by US-based Pylyp Li.

The top five AI-generated short films were screened on the first day of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, a gathering of content creators aiming to explore how new media can drive positive change and fuel sustainable economic growth.