Celebrity Photoshoots

Leonardo DiCaprio is on the cover of GQ's October issue, and inside the magazine, he teams up with his J. Edgar director Clint Eastwood for an interview. The actor has been spending time in Australia shooting Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby while he preps for J. Edgar's November release, which will come just in time for award-season consideration. During his conversation with Clint, Leo opens up about his business savvy, his thoughts on politics, and even his family, though there's no mention of his most recent flame, Blake Lively. Here are some highlights:

• On why he doesn't only do blockbusters: "Throughout my career, I never knew which movies of mine made money and which didn't. When Titanic came out, people would say, 'Do you realize what a success this is?' And I'd say, 'Yeah, yeah, it's a hit.' The [money] stuff never mattered to me until I was into my thirties and got interested in producing . . . But even now I say that unless you want to prove that you can carry a film with your name, continuously trying to achieve box-office success is a dead end."
• On politics and gay marriage: "That's the most infuriating thing — watching people focus on these things. Meanwhile, there's the onset of global warming — and these incredibly scary and menacing things with the future of our economy. Our relationship to the rest of the world. And here we are focusing on this?"
• On his dad's influence on him: "My father has always been a huge force with me. I had passed on a script about the French poet Arthur Rimbaud [Total Eclipse]. He explained to me that Rimbaud was the James Dean of his time . . . I did the movie, and I loved playing him. If I just waited for moments of 'I have to do this,' I would do a movie only every four or five years."

Photos courtesy Craig McDean/GQ

Drew Barrymore graces the cover of Condé Nast Traveler's September Visionaries issue in a photograph captured during her recent trip to Kenya. The actress invited the magazine to join her on the journey and opens up about her connection to the country in the pages of the glossy. Drew visited Africa this Summer to follow up on the progress of the Drew Barrymore Education Project, which she cofounded in 2009 with the World Food Program. The residents of Kiltamany village greeted the actress by dressing her in traditional garb, including a cowhide dress and an ornate beaded collar. Drew's efforts have already made a marked difference in their lives — especially for women and girls. The Education Project helped fund the creation of a solar-powered well in town, which means the villagers no longer have to make a dangerous four-hour trek for water. The new water source has even given girls more free time to regularly attend school. Drew reflects on what she has in common with the Kenyans she spent time with and why philanthropy is so important to her in the article. Here are some highlights:

• On small efforts making big differences: "It's amazing to me that the kids mention professions which involve helping others, that they are naturally philanthropic. People can feel unconfident about sending money into the void of a charity. But when you find something like this that speaks to your heart, it gives you the courage to look beyond your own problems and take the first small steps to try as an individual to make an impact."
• On how much Kenyan kids value school: "I was really moved. I never went to school myself. I was doing a job and didn't have a kids life. I wanted to learn more about why these kids were so passionate, walking so far and overfilling their classrooms."
• On her tip for tourists: "Travelers should look at the harsh realities of a place but balance that with seeking its beauty. It's important to acknowledge the reality of how the world functions but also to keep a sense of hope."
• On feeling awkward during her early visits to Kenya: "I didn't want to be on a soapbox, this Westerner living in a bubble, so on the first trip I was a little nervous. I asked questions and listened a lot . . ."

Salma Hayek is Allure's September cover girl, and she shows off her assets in the Mario Testino-lensed photo shoot. Salma is currently filming The Savages in California, and in the magazine, she is promoting her upcoming animated movie Puss in Boots as well as her new self-named Salma Hayek skincare, cosmetics, and hair product line, which is sold at CVS. Salma also opened up about the lifestyle she and husband François Pinault are able to provide for their daughter, Valentina, and the actress is happy to show the 4-year-old the world. Check out Salma Hayek's full sexy shoot on Allure.com, and here are the highlights from the interview:

• On what changed with her body over the past 10 years: "My boobs; they’re not bad, by the way. I’m not complaining about them."
• On getting sexier with age: "As a woman, you should be more at ease with your sexuality when you are in your 40s. You are more self-assured about that part. And that's the way it should be. If you are a girl who cannot walk in heels, it doesn't matter how beautiful you are. If you look like a chicken that's been spiked in the feet, it's not going to be sexy."
• On her sexy image: "When I first started, I found that I had to play the part of something they could swallow in Hollywood, which was the sexy Latin girl. I was not dressing like that in Mexico."
• On her luxurious lifestyle: "I never understood the point of being privileged if you don’t get to have the privileges. Like, people who won’t take their kids to an expensive restaurant or won’t travel with them or make them pay for everything at a really young age. I think it’s important that kids have responsibilities and understand the value of things, but I think it’s great I get to travel the world with my daughter."

Beyoncé Knowles graces the cover of Harper's Bazaar UK's upcoming September issue and is spotlighted in a sexy spread inside the pages of the magazine. The images feature the singer in a range of powerful designer looks from the likes of Azzedine Alaïa, Armani Prive, and Azzaro, and were captured at the Ritz during an April trip she made to Paris with her husband, Jay-Z. Beyoncé is back in the States now as she enjoys the success of her latest album, 4. She teamed up with Destiny's Child's Kelly Rowland and her sister, Solange Knowles, yesterday in a location very different from the Ritz — a New Jersey trailer park — to film the video for her single "Party." In her interview for Bazaar, B reflects on her upcoming 30th birthday, as well as her take on feminism and empowerment. She also opens up about her close friendship with Gwyneth Paltrow, who likewise gushed about Beyoncé in the article. Here are some highlights:

• On turning 30 in September: “This is such a pivotal moment in my life! I’m transitioning as a woman, and I’m finally able to express myself as I am.”
• On whether she's a feminist: “I don’t really feel that it’s necessary to define it. It’s just something that’s kind of natural for me, and I feel like . . . you know . . . it’s, like, what I live for. I need to find a catchy new word for ‘feminism’, right? Like ‘bootylicious’ . . . ”
• On Gwyneth Paltrow: “She pushes her boundaries all the time. You go to her house and she makes you feel like you never want to go home. She is what I strive to be one day."
• Gwyneth on Beyoncé: “She is what it means to be a superstar. No one else can sing and dance like that, while having humour and genuine bursting sweetness. She has her own recipe for it . . . I wanted my own character (Gwyneth has a musical role in Country Strong), to have some of that mega-wattage. So I studied B. She was my homework."
• Gwyneth on her and Chris Martin’s friendship with Beyoncé & Jay-Z: “We have very similar values. We have also been able to become each other’s support systems over the years, as none of us needs anything from the other.”

Gossip Girl's Jessica Szohr left the Upper East Side for the jungles of Costa Rica to shoot her new campaign for SoBe Lifewater, in which she wears nothing more than some strategically placed body paint! The pictures will appear in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, available on newsstands Feb. 15. I spoke to Jessica yesterday about her new gig, and she said that while she wasn't nervous about stripping down, she did get some advice from last year's model. Jessica said, "My friend Ashley Greene did it last year . . . and I remember thinking, 'Oh my god that's paint on you?' Because it actually looks like a swimsuit." She also chatted about her hit CW show, saying she'd love for her character, Vanessa, to hook up with a "Brooklyn guy" next. Check out today's PopSugar Rush for our full interview with Jessica!