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Leo's New Leading Lady

Fri., Jan. 5, 2007 1:22 PM PST by Gina Serpe

When it comes to African children, Leonardo DiCaprio's philosophy is more on par with Sally Struthers than Madonna and Angelina Jolie.

Rather than taking custody or guardianship of a child, DiCaprio is instead opting for financial sponsorship of a little girl he met while filming Blood Diamond.

"You can't help but not be affected when you're in a situation where there is a horrible AIDS rate and there is violence going on and there is poverty," the actor told E! News. "You have to get involved.

"Certainly there was a girl on set that I sort of became attached to and I went to her orphanage and I'm supporting her and supporting the orphanage."

DiCaprio met the girl last year while filming the Ed Zwick-directed drama in Mozambique's capital city of Maputo.

"I'll be affected by that experience forever," he said. "I won't look at life the same way."

It's unknown exactly how deep into his considerable pockets DiCaprio is dipping to support the girl, whose name and age have not been divulged, or how long he plans on playing benefactor to the orphanage.

But his magnanimity has seemingly earned him serious karma points.

Both Blood Diamond and DiCaprio's other recent release, Martin Scorsese's The Departed, have received heaps of critical praise, making the 32-year-old star's name a regular feature on this season's awards nomination lists.

Last month, the actor picked up a pair of Best Actor nominations—one for each role—from the Critics Choice Awards. His Afrikaani accented/undercover cop acting combo also won over the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which rewarded DiCaprio with two more Best Actor nods for the Golden Globes.

This week, the Screen Actors Guild took the first steps toward helping DiCaprio not split his own vote, giving the actor nominations for both roles, though demoting his turn in The Departed to the supporting category.