Since news broke in December 2017 that Leonardo DiCaprio is dating actor and model Camila Morrone, much attention has been paid to their 23-year age gap: Morrone is 22, while DiCaprio is 45. Morrone has appeared to indirectly address their relationship in the past, but in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, she spoke directly about the criticism.
Morrone is currently promoting her new movie, Mickey and the Bear, which has won her significant critical acclaim. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, she discussed her controversial July Instagram post, a photo of actors Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart, which she captioned, "a love like this." Because Bacall and Bogart had a 25-year age gap, her followers assumed she was comparing the stars to herself and DiCaprio.
The backlash was swift, and Morrone was forced to take to her Instagram story, posting, "Good morning people and happy Friday. I just read some of the comments on my Instagram and... my God, people are so mean and full of anger with people that they know nothing about. I guess I just hope on this Friday that people learn to live with a little less hatred and place their time and interests elsewhere, because living without hatred feels pretty good."
In her interview with the LA Times, Morrone said she didn't intend to compare the two relationships. She did, however, address the age gap between her and DiCaprio. "There’s so many relationships in Hollywood—and in the history of the world—where people have large age gaps," Morrone commented. "I just think anyone should be able to date who they want to date."
The actor also said she'd like to be known for her work, not just for her relationship with DiCaprio. "I think more and more now that people are seeing the film, I’m slowly getting an identity outside of that," Morrone said. "Which is frustrating, because I feel like there should always be an identity besides who you’re dating...I understand the association, but I’m confident that will continue to slip away and be less of a conversation."
For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.
![](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/gettyimages-90284583-1623537340.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.333xh;0,0.0147xh&resize=480:* "On Location For "Sex And The City 2" - September 1, 2009")
