Leo with a swan by Annie Leibowitz wins the Love vote for Ellie Grace Cumming
Whether spouting couplets through a fish tank in Romeo & Juliet, sinking wetly into the freezing Atlantic in Titanic or defining the Gap Year cliché in The Beach, Leonardo DiCaprio was without doubt the iconic heartthrob for the turn of the millennium. His was the face that launched a million teenage obsessions, that wallpapered bedroom walls around the globe, that sold cinema tickets by the multiplex-load, that broke hearts every time he flashed the camera a winsome look. And while times have moved on and we claim we’re all about the Gosling these days, late nineties Leo still holds a hallowed place in our hearts, as demonstrated by the unrivalled rise to glory in the Loves vote of this shot of Leo with a swan, as chosen by Another Man fashion editor Ellie Grace Cumming.
Shot by Annie Leibowitz for a 1997 edition of Vanity Fair, this portrait of DiCaprio is a demonstration of his ineffable adorability, as packs of girls clamoured to swap places with the smitten swan. But thankfully for Hollywood, the actor managed to sidestep the path into obscurity created by the undeniably handsome likes of Caspar’s Devon Sawa, Zack of Saved by the Bell and Hobie from Baywatch. Instead, this shoot marked Leo’s move from indie star to bona fide Hollywood sensation, and the exploration of bigger roles less reliant on his jawline and boyband hair. And we are all happy that he did, but that doesn’t stop us relishing this heady dose of 90s nostalgia – or wondering what happened to the swan.
So in celebration of teen icons, we quiz Cumming about her idols as well as nosily prying into her recent purchasing history.
Why did you Love this picture?
Swans are such romantic birds, this image just looked so charming.
Where would you put it if you owned it?
Framed above my desk.
Who wore it better - Leo or Björk?
I love both.
What's your favourite Leo moment?
Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet.
Who was your teen screen idol?
Elvis Presley, James Dean, Keanu Reeves, River Phoenix, Christian Slater and Edward Furlong.
If you could enter the world of any coming of age film, which would it be and who would you play?
Kim in Edward Scissorhands.
What are you looking forward to about autumn proper?
Halloween.
What was the last thing you bought?
Some 1988 Smash Hits Stick Album Stickers for a friend.
