HOLLYWOOD, CA – FEBRUARY 28: (L-R) Actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet attend the 88th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 28, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Dan MacMedan/WireImage)

Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio’s friendship has long been one of the cutest Hollywood relationships for decades as the two, who met on the set of Titanic when they were 21 and 22 respectively, have continued to champion each other both publicly and privately since the beginning of their careers. 

Though more than 24 years have passed since the film made its box office debut, Winslet and DiCaprio remain best friends, so much so that the distance imposed on them due to the Covid-19 pandemic prompted Winslet to cry when they were finally reunited. 

In an interview with The Guardian, the British actress says she recently saw DiCaprio in Los Angeles for the first time in three years, something that was somewhat of an emotional reunion.”I couldn’t stop crying,” she recalls. “I’ve known him for half my life!”

HOLLYWOOD, CA – FEBRUARY 28: Actor Leonardo DiCaprio (L) and Kate Winslet attend the 88th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on February 28, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

She continues, “It’s not as if I’ve found myself in New York or he’s been in London and there’s been a chance to have dinner or grab a coffee and a catchup. We haven’t been able to leave our countries. Like so many friendships globally, we’ve missed each other because of COVID.”

Calling the actor a “really close friend,” Winslet adds, “We’re bonded for life. I turned 21 on that shoot, and Leo turned 22.”

Of Titanic’s gruelling filming schedule, Winslet says, “It wasn’t pleasant for any of us, but we were all in it together,” jokingly adding that DiCaprio “had way more days off than I ever bloody did.”

Winslet, who was one of the first people DiCaprio embraced when he won his 2016 Oscar, also spoke of the actor that same year, telling People, “He’s a solid, loyal person. He’s a great friend, he always has been, and not just to me, but to everyone around him.” She continued, “He still has friends he had when we made Titanic. In many ways, he hasn’t changed a bit, but in other ways, he absolutely has changed.”