[imagesource: IMAGO / ITAR-TASS]

That’s Russian Roman Burtsev posing as a Leonardo Di Caprio doppelgänger at the 2016 Oscars ceremony above.

It was around this time that he found fame thanks to his resemblance to the Hollywood star.

Roman jumped on the opportunity to capitalise on his looks, working as a model in an advert where he posed as Leo. He also gave interviews to the press about his newfound fame, reports The Mirror.

That is until the COVID-19 pandemic pushed him into the shadows.

He said that the problems began with the introduction of restrictions in April 2020, which has made people forget about him:

In the past, Roman would be bombarded by Leo fans while out and about in big cities, but that all ended with the pandemic.

He mentioned that wearing a facemask doesn’t help his chances of being spotted, either.

On the other hand, advertisers have also apparently pulled out of deals with him due to his weight.

Per a Cosmopolitan interview from back in 2016, he said he has underlying health issues, which makes it difficult to lose weight.

Here’s his response to the question, “There are headlines that say “Fat Leo DiCaprio” or “Regular Guy Leo DiCaprio.” How does that make you feel?”:

“As far as the weight goes, that’s true. That’s obvious and there’s nothing I can do about that. The thing is that people don’t know why that is. They don’t know, for example, that I have thyroid issues. They just say it without thinking.

On the one hand, it’s true. On the other hand, when people just kind of let loose and express themselves with any self-censorship, that’s kind of hurtful.”

But Roman, who currently lives in a two-room flat with his parents and cats, says he is on the right path again and is aiming to lose some extra weight.

He has a background in IT and was working in cryptocurrency for a bit before quitting because his boss didn’t like the idea of him going off to do adverts.

Now he is earning RUB 50 000 (around R10 000) a month and dreams of being able to afford a house in Crimea, a peninsula along the northern coast of the Black Sea in Eastern Europe.

Once there, he wants to just focus on “family, children, home”.

Let’s take a look at some of the work he’s done as a Leonardo DiCaprio doppelgänger:

The Great Gatsby:

The Basketball Diaries:

Romeo + Juliet:

Gangs of New York:

Hopefully, now that we’re all starting to adapt to COVID-19, Roman can get more gigs and move into that house.

Good luck to you, old sport.

[source:mirror]