HIS SHINING HOUR DICAPRIO OUT TO SPREAD AWARENESS OF ENVIRONMENT ONE SCREEN AT A TIME.

Byline: BOB STRAUSS

>FILM WRITER

He dates supermodels. He was the dreamboat lead in the biggest movie of all time. He's one former child actor who seems to have turned out all right.

Aren't we bored by all that stuff yet?

Leonardo DiCaprio wishes we would be. At least for long enough to listen to what he has to say about "The 11th Hour." A labor of love that the producer/narrator devoted hundreds of hours to, the documentary, which opened Friday, makes "An Inconvenient Truth" seem absolutely cheery about what's happening to the environment but also offers a plethora of solutions that science, government, business and individuals can do to help.

If they only would -- and before, as the film's title indicates, it's too late.

So put down that Us magazine and listen up, and, yeah, we did ask about his latest studio film -- "Revolutionary Road," co-starring Kate Winslet and directed by her husband, Sam Mendes ("American Beauty).

Do you get more out of working on a project like this than other movies? It's more rewarding, certainly, in the sense that I feel like there's something tangible that's happened in the making of this movie. I've already seen people affected by it, feeling somewhat enlightened when they left the theater and galvanized to do something about it. When I've made other movies, yeah, there could be an extremely rewarding sense when I gave a good performance or the movie was good. That's all gratifying to a certain extent. But when you're talking about real issues that face everyone and are so far-reaching, it's rewarding on a much deeper level.

Do you lobby studios to be more environmentally conscious?

I've certainly tried, and I'm going to continue to encourage studios to try to build green in the future and reduce their carbon footprints in making these movies. But it's very difficult. I mean, look at "Transformers" or "Die Hard"; try to convince some of these studios to make those movies green.

How about the movies you're in?

I've found it very difficult, to tell you the truth. I mean, these are major corporations that are constantly worried about the bottom line and the budget. To impose some of these beliefs that I have could sometimes make the movie not happen (laughs). You know what I mean? I can only lead by example.

So what are you doing, personally, to help the environment?

I've been driving a hybrid car for five or six years now.

My house is built green, I have solar panels on my house. I don't walk to work, and I don't have a compost pile. But I try to live by example. And by the end of the day, I don't think the environmental movement is about telling people how to live, no matter what kind of financial background they come from. Not everyone can put solar panels on their house; it's just not a reality. But it is about being aware of the global forces that are out there. And being aware in the next election, asking the right questions about what the candidates' environmental policies are. And voting with your dollar.

In a tabloid culture, what are the chances of getting your film's messages across?

Geez, that's a hard question to answer. I only have a simple one: It's by doing things like this movie. The new generation is really being educated by media nowadays. That's really how the vast majority of people can see the world that they live in and understand a lot of the issues that are going on. That's why this has been a great combination for me. I got to take my other passion, environmentalism, and incorporate that into something that I feel like I know how to do pretty well, make movies. You never know what it's gonna do at the end of the day, but at least I'm giving it a try.

Al Gore has kind of been your mentor about this ...

I don't know if he's going to run for office. I haven't asked him directly, but I think not. People always want to know ...

You looked disappointed when he didn't announce he'd run at the Oscars.

Well, I kind of knew that would happen. I'd read the script.

What was it like working with your "Titanic" co-star Kate Winslet on "Revolutionary Road"?

It was great. She's certainly one of the most talented actresses of her generation and has been a great friend to me for years. She brought this project to me with Sam (Mendes, her director husband), and I just fell in love with it. It's a real relationship story about two people trying to survive in the suburbs, living lives like they feel they weren't destined to live, and how they tear each other apart because of that.

It was a real kind of Actors Studio piece for both of us. It was great to reconnect with her and make that movie.

Bob Strauss [phone]

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2 photos

Photo:

(1) "The new generation is really being educated by media nowadays," says Leonardo DiCaprio, who narrated and helped produce the environmental documentary "The 11th Hour."

(2) Directors Leila Conners Petersen, left, and Nadia Conners with DiCaprio at the L.A. premiere of their film "The 11th Hour."

>KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES