Kristen Zang dated Leonardo DiCaprio from 1994 to 1999. Following his break-up with actress Camila Morrone, the world has been talking about DiCaprio’s penchant to date women under the age of 25, resulting in memes and tons of exposure. In a rare public appearance, Zang shared her perspective in People Magazine.
Zang, a retired actress and model, wrote about her relationship with DiCaprio and shared her opinion on the headlines and comments that have appeared since his break-up.
“Leo and I dated for four years. I met him casually through friends when I was 19 years old and we started dating when we were both 21,” wrote Zang. She shared how he was a sweet boyfriend and that they had their ups and downs, like any relationship. “I visited Leo for long periods of time on various sets in different countries. I loved his friends and he loved mine. We were like one big happy family. Leo was a very sweet and thoughtful boyfriend. We also had some hard times like all couples do, and broke up for a bit in 1997 and then got back together. Then, about 4 months after my 25th birthday (ha, I know what you’re thinking) it was over for good,” she wrote, acknowledging the elephant in the room. “It was a choice I made. I don’t how to explain it exactly, I just felt like I was ready for our relationship to be done. It was like I had outgrown that version of myself, the Hollywood high school girl. I wanted to figure out who I was and what I wanted.”
After sharing her experience in finding true love and in discovering her true vocation, Zang criticised the media and its speculation on DiCaprio and Morrone’s relationship. She says that even though the memes should continue on, because they’re great, the ageist headlines and comments have a lot to say about our youth. “As far as Leo and his latest breakup, who knows what happened. Maybe she really cared for him but was just ready for the next chapter, perhaps it’s temporary, or maybe it’s none of our business but can we stop with the ageist headlines and comments? But let’s keep the funny memes coming, they’re stellar. Truly.”
DiCaprio and Camila Morrone dated for four years. The two were private about their relationship, with Morrone only speaking about it to remind people to mind their own business. “More exposure leads to more judgment and negativity,” said Morrone in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “It’s a little bit of a bummer because you’re really trying to do good work and be nice and be a good person, and in the meantime… people wish negative things upon you.”
Over the years, DiCaprio has dated a string of models and actresses, among them, Gisele Bündchen, Blake Lively, Lorena Rae, and more. All break-ups occurred before the women were 25, which is, even without any malicious intent, incredibly interesting.