Leo: 'Fame was like a runaway train'

Rex Features

Leonardo DiCaprio has compared his international fame after making Titanic to a "runaway train".

The actor revealed that he was not prepared for the success of the film, which became the highest-grossing picture of all time after its 1997 release.

"Titanic began a period of rebellion for me," he said. "As soon as people give you enough compliments and you suddenly have more power than you've ever had in your entire life, it's not that you become an arrogant p***k, or you become rude to people, but you get a false sense of your own importance.

"You're treading in dangerous territory when you begin thinking you've altered the course of history. It was like a runaway train. I didn't understand what was happening to me."

> Click here to read our interview with Leonardo DiCaprio