They were expecting a star and instead got the militant environmentalist. Apart from a delay of over one hour, Leonardo DiCaprio truly displayed little celebrity behaviour. Wearing jeans and running shoes, he arrived in the Teatro di Tor Bella Monaca, in the eponymous neighbourhood on the outskirts of Rome, relaxed and looking like someone out on a Sunday afternoon stroll.

He stopped briefly along the long red carpet to the theatre, to sign a few autographs. Behind the barricades, the young female fans screamed with joy, yet there was little of the hysteria that usually accompanies these kinds of events. In other words, everything unfolded in an orderly manner.

Accompanied by Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni, Minister Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio and festival President Goffredo Bettini, DiCaprio took the stage after being presented by actor Michele Placido, the theatre’s artistic director. “He is very open and has a great civic passion”, said Veltroni of DiCaprio. The actor was, in fact, at the theatre to present two short environmental documentaries he produced.

It certainly seemed odd to hear him speak of global warming, the greenhouse effect and pollution reduction technologies. Interviewed before the screening by Violante Placido, the American actor said he has been interested in ecology since his childhood, and emphasised that this interest belongs to his entire generation, perhaps the first to find itself facing the last chance to save the planet.

Thus, DiCaprio revealed his militant side, speaking on responsible consumption and the current role of the media, which he finds guilty of supplying erroneous information on environmental themes. “America produces more pollution more than any other country in the world. We all need to do something before the situation becomes irreparable”, he warned. “The two short documentaries I produced are the starting point for a film for next year, which will be called The Eleventh Hour. The title evokes the idea that the world is truly running out of time to find solutions for environmental problems and the film will be a series of interviews with scientists, politicians and Nobel Prize winners”.

The young fans crowding the theatre readily applauded everything he said yet were left somewhat surprised. In the end, however, they were happy and moved to have met their idol.