By the 1990s, his status as a heartthrob had reached its peak, with his iconic roles in Romeo + Juliet (1996) and of course, Titanic (1997).
These films allowed him to reach international fame, as well as earning the position of leading man.
When E! Asked him what it was like to be called a heartthrob he responded:
“I don’t know about that teen thing. I think it’s good, it’s good for publicity, but, it’s almost like they’re not actors, you know what I mean? They portray them as sort of like a piece of meat. Like, here’s the new cute thing, take a look at him, and go ‘ohhh, ahhh’. I didn’t dig that.”
