Leonardo DiCaprio Covers Parade

Leonardo DiCaprio is featured in the latest issue of Parade. The 33-year-old opens up about being after love, wanting to get married and having kids some day. Here’s what Leo shared:

On why he became an actor: “My parents never tried to steer me in any direction. I wanted to be an actor, but I never thought it was a real possibility, ever. I thought I’d be a marine biologist, because nature and evolution fascinated me… We’re all after love, aren’t we? Love is what people are hungry for. That’s absolutely why I became an actor.”

On his career skyrocketing: “I am proud to have been in Titanic. I’m grateful for the possibilities it’s given me. If it hadn’t been for that movie, I wouldn’t have been able to take control of my career. It was during that time that I started to think about things that meant more to the world than this glorified, superficial media exposure of me, something I never felt was justified.”

On finding love in his life: “What I definitely feel a need for is to make my life about more than just my career. Just last night I was thinking to myself how little of my life has been lived normally and not spent on some far-off movie location. I want to get married and have children. In saying that, I realize I am contradicting everything I’ve said before. I absolutely believe in marriage.”

On looking to the future: “I hope I never get cynical. I think you need youthful energy, excitement, and optimism in life. There is a lot I want to do, and the more cynical you become, the more you sit on your butt and do nothing. The one thing that I would love is to never become cynical about the things I think are really important, like family, like the environment. (smiles) What I want is to be known as someone who stood for something.”

Read the full (and revealing) interview at Parade.com. Leo‘s new movie, Body of Lies, co-starring Russell Crowe opens Oct. 10.