During the Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow in November 2021, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had an encounter with Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio. Johnson, excited to meet the renowned environmentalist, began quoting lines from DiCaprio’s film “Blood Diamond” in a thick South African accent. This unexpected interaction caught DiCaprio’s attention, causing him to pause and exchange a few words with Johnson before continuing on his way. Johnson described recognizing the actor from a distance and speculating on the reason for DiCaprio’s approach before the interaction took place.
He was just ten yards away, confidently making his way towards me down the temporary corridor within the convention center, where the world’s most influential leaders had gathered to address the imminent threat of global warming,” he vividly recalls. “As he drew nearer, it was evident that he had a specific purpose in mind for approaching us, the team representing the UK presidency at the UN conference on climate change, also known as COP 26. We couldn’t help but wonder what his intentions were.”
At that moment, Mr. Johnson and his team were informed that the renowned Titanic actor wasn’t there to raise an alarm about an impending iceberg, but rather to request access to the private restroom within the presidential suite. Only after catching a glimpse of DiCaprio emerging from the lavatories did Mr. Johnson approach him. In his recollection, the “real-life” actor appeared to be even taller and more robust than the cinematic icon he was widely known as.
This wasn’t the first instance of DiCaprio’s mention in the book; the initial reference was during Mr. Johnson’s battle with Covid-19 in April 2020, when he found himself in intensive care. He recounts watching The Revenant, a film in which DiCaprio portrays an 18th-century fur trapper in Canada who endures a brutal bear attack, as he struggled to remain alert, fearful that he might succumb to sleep and never awaken.
Unleashed by Boris Johnson is scheduled for release by William Collins on October 10th.