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

Meryl Streep comeback in ‘Mamma Mia 3’

In Mamma Mia, Meryl Streep portrayed Donna Sheridan, a single mother and independent hotel manager. Fans raved about her performance in the musical hit franchise.

But in the sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again: her character was revealed to have died. Though it was not shown how.

Now, as the third instalment is confirmed, according to Dame Donna Langley, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment, questions are raised: would she make a comeback?

“If Meryl Streep would like to come back, we’ll find a way to bring her back,” the head responds to a question about the actress’ character’s return.

Further, the executive confirms the film has been greenlighted. “Yes, I’m going to say right now that there will be a Mamma Mia 3.”

Though, Langley insists the project is in an early phase, so there is no specific time when the movie will roll out in theatres. “We’re talking about it.”

Earlier, Amanda Seyfried, who played Sophie in the Mamma Mia franchise, said her character Sophie should be the third film’s focus.

The international News

Shakira to perform at Egypt’s iconic Pyramids of Giza in April

Colombian pop star Shakira is set to perform live at the Pyramids of Giza on April 7, as part of her worldwide “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” tour, organisers said.

The concert is expected to draw a large audience to one of Egypt’s most iconic landmarks, with the global singer planning a visually ambitious production designed to match the scale and symbolism of the ancient site.

The show marks Shakira’s return to Egypt nearly two decades after her successful 2007 performance at the same venue as part of her Oral Fixation Tour, which at the time drew a large audience and widespread media coverage.

Shakira is expected to perform a selection of her most popular hits that have shaped her global career over the years, in a setting that blends music with history.

Gold, Silver Prices Make Olympic Medals Most Valuable in Modern History

It isn’t solid gold — but it’s never been worth more.

Athletes stepping onto the Winter Olympic podium in Italy this month are being draped in the most valuable medals in the Games’ modern history thanks to near record-high precious metal prices.

Since the Paris Summer Olympics started on July 26, 2024, spot gold prices have jumped roughly 110% to about $5,000 per ounce, while spot silver has surged about 180% hovering near $78 an ounce, according to FactSet data.

At current prices, the intrinsic or “melt value” of an Olympic gold medal — value based solely on the metals it contains — is roughly $2,300 to $2,500. Silver medals now carry a raw metal value of about $1,400.

Each gold medal handed out at this Olympics weighs in at about 506 grams, roughly 17.5 ounces, but only six grams of that total is pure gold.

Surprisingly, despite the name, Olympic gold medals are mostly silver. There hasn’t been a solid gold medal since the 1912 Stockholm Summer Olympics.

Under current International Olympic Committee guidelines, gold medals must consist of at least 92.5% silver and include a minimum of six grams of gold plating. Those six grams — about 0.2 ounces — are worth just over $1,000. The remaining silver core adds roughly $1,300 or more, depending on daily market swings.

Silver medals have about 500 grams of silver. Bronze medals, made primarily of copper and weighing in roughly 420 grams, carry only minimal intrinsic value at current commodity prices, worth just $5 to $6 in metal value.

Precious metal prices have climbed sharply over the past year as investors have poured money into traditional safe havens amid geopolitical instability, inflation concerns and ongoing economic uncertainty.

“The fundamentals and the tailwinds of this debasement trade are still in place, and the global central banks all over the world are acquirers of gold for the first time in many years,” Joe Terranova, a CNBC contributor and senior managing director for Virtus Investment Partners, said on CNBC’s Halftime Report Thursday. “You want to have some ownership.”

Even with bouts of volatility — including recent pullbacks over fears precious medal prices had overshot fundamentals — bullion remains near historic highs.

“The sell off [of precious metals] was attributable to excessive speculation,” Terranova said. “I don’t think it was attributable to any form of the shift in the fundamentals.”

Just this week, precious metals prices stabilized from that slip as investors assessed U.S.-Iran tensions and a drop in U.S. jobless claims that pointed to labor-market stability ahead of inflation data later this week.

Despite the soaring value of this year’s medals, they have been accompanied by an unexpected wrinkle.

The Milano Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee has acknowledged it’s looking into what is described as an “issue affecting a small number” of medals after several athletes reported broken ribbons or clasps during celebrations.

Organizers said they are working with the Italian State Mint to address the issue and repair affected medals.

CNBC

Entertainment

Shakira to perform at Egypt’s iconic Pyramids of Giza in April

Colombian pop star Shakira is set to perform live at the Pyramids of Giza on April 7, as part of her worldwide “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” tour, organisers said.

Shakira is expected to perform a selection of her most popular hits that have shaped her global career over the years, in a setting that blends music with history.

Entertainment

Alan Cumming Thanks BAFTAs Audience After Activist’s Tourette’s Interruption

Host Alan Cumming addressed the audience at the British Academy Film Awards on Sunday night after audible outbursts from Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson were heard during the ceremony.

The event, held at Royal Festival Hall and broadcast on BBC One, was briefly disrupted when Davidson, 54, let out involuntary shouts. At one point during the ceremony, Davidson could be heard yelling, “Shut the f*** up,” during a speech from BAFTA chair Sara Putt, as well as “f*** you” when the directors of the winner for Best Children’s and Family Film accepted their award.

Davidson also shouted a racial slur as actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the award for Best Visual Effects, per Variety. Davidson, who was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome at 25 after experiencing symptoms from childhood, is the inspiration behind the nominated film I Swear.

Those in attendance, including BAFTA president Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, reportedly reacted with visible surprise as the auditorium fell silent during speeches, making the outbursts more noticeable.

“The auditorium fell completely silent during the speeches, making the sudden outbursts clearly audible. The reaction in the room was one of visible shock, yet no one openly responded,” a source told HELLO!

Cumming acknowledged the moment on stage, explaining that strong language can be part of how Tourette’s presents for some individuals. “You may have noticed some strong language in the background. This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience,” Alan said on the stage. Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone. We apologise if you are offended.”

Cumming addressed the audience again later in the evening, this time apologising to anyone who may have been offended by Davidson’s words. “Tourette’s syndrome is a disability, and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette’s syndrome has no control over their language. We apologise if you are offended tonight,” he said.

Prior to the show as well, the event’s stage manager introduced Davidson, 54, to the audience and alerted attendees that they might hear some “involuntary noises or movements” during the ceremony, per Variety.

Davidson appeared to have left the audience during the second half of the show, per Variety.

I Swear, directed by Kirk Jones, received five nominations, including best leading actor for Robert Aramayo, who ultimately won the award as well as BAFTAs EE Rising Star.

During his acceptance speech for the latter award, the actor praised Davidson and called for greater understanding of his condition. “John Davidson is the most remarkable man I ever met,” Aramayo, 33, said. “He’s so forthcoming with education and he believes there should still be so much more we need to learn about Tourette’s.”

Aramayo continued, “I just want to say for people who are living with Tourette’s, it’s the buzz around them that helped define what their experience is, so to quote the film, ‘They need support and understanding.’”

The international News