Leonardo DiCaprio Reveals He Met River Phoenix the Night he Died

Entertainment Tonight, Friday, February 12, 2010, 8:07am (PST)

Leonardo DiCaprio is styling on the cover of the new Esquire, in which he speaks candidly about River Phoenix and co-star Kate Winslet.

He tells the magazine: "When I was 18, River Phoenix was far and away my hero. I always wanted to meet him. One night, I was at this Halloween party, and he passed me. He was beyond pale -- he looked white. Before I got a chance to say hello, he was gone, driving off to the Viper Room, where he fell over and died. That's a lesson."

Leo has often been compared to his former hero, due to both his physical appearance and raw talent.

Another acting icon he has a great deal of respect for is his co-star and friend, saying. "Kate Winslet is one of my dearest friends. We have the ultimate trust in each other. When the [sex] scene [in 'Revolutionary Road'] was about to start, Kate said, in front of the entire crew, 'Wait, wait, this is totally weird.' She turned to both Sam [Mendes, the director and her husband] and I and said, 'Are you guys okay?' We both looked at her and said, 'Yeah, we're totally fine.' She said, 'It's even weirder that you're both totally fine.'"

Get more with Leo when the new issue of Esquire hits newsstands Feb. 16.

Related stories: Leonardo DiCaprio on his 'Shutter Island' Role: It Did Wear on Me  Behind the Scenes of 'Shutter Island'