Swedish Konrad Annerud is already accustomed to being called “Leo” when he's is out in public. Now the 21-year-old bartender’s likeness to Di Caprio's younger self has scored him an online following.
The real Leonardo DiCaprio. Photo: AP/Peter Mountain
“I am told I resemble Leo quite often”, Annerud told Swedish news site Nyheter24 this week, adding that his similarity to the US celebrity brought him both advantages and disadvantages.
“It can be quite annoying sometimes when people call me ‘Leo’ instead of my real name. But it’s fun to look like him, I mean, he’s handsome,” he said.
Although the real Leonardo Di Caprio is now 40 – almost twice Annerud's age – the Swedish double said he was regularly approached by fans – especially when travelling abroad.
“When I was in Italy this summer I almost felt like shaving my hair off. It was very chaotic; people were yelling “Leo” and wanted to take photos with me all the time. It was one of the craziest things I’ve ever experienced”, he told Nyheter24.
To look like someone else is not always fun, Annerud explained.
“It gets a bit much sometimes; you want to be your own person after all.”
The story of Di Caprio’s secret doppelganger is going viral on social media in Sweden. Hundreds of comments have been made on Konrad Annerud’s Instagram account since his selfies were published by Nyheter24 and several other Swedish newspapers.
When The Local tried to reach Konrad Annerud on Tuesday mid-morning to hear what he thought about the attention, we accidentally woke him up. Perhaps his involuntary celebrity status is slightly tiring. Or maybe he's been partying hard, just like his movie star idol did at the same age. More likely, he was just exhausted after putting a shift in at the bar.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet at the Golden Globe Awards, 1996. Photo: AP/Mark J. Terrill.
Those who want to see the real DiCaprio in Sweden could have a long wait. His new film 'The Revenant' won't be in Swedish cinemas until January and its not known if Leo will be making an appearance on the red carpet in the Nordics. Perhaps his doppelganger can stand in.
Article by The Local's intern August Håkansson
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