daughter Victoria ‘smitten’ with Leonardo DiCaprio
Actress Victoria Lamas is “smitten” with Leonardo DiCaprio — but isn’t dating the Oscar-winning playboy, her father, Lorenzo Lamas, exclusively told The Post.
“I know she likes him very much,” Lorenzo said. “I think they met last month. I’m not sure of the circumstances, but that’s what she told me.”
The 1980s heartthrob confirmed Wednesday that his 23-year-old daughter had gushed over DiCaprio, 48, during a Christmas Eve phone call after she was seen getting into the actor’s car in West Hollywood on Dec. 20.
“She’s very smitten,” Lorenzo, 64, told The Post. “I told her to treat the relationship like a holiday — just enjoy it as much as you can for as long as it lasts. And if it lasts for more than a typical holiday, great. But if not, then just guard your heart, you know? Because she’s very young.”
The former “Falcon Crest” star, who has six kids, even busted out a dad joke as he recounted his daughter talking about the “Titanic” star.
“I just told her, you know, absolutely no trans-Atlantic cruises with Leo,” Lorenzo joked. “Anyway, I’m excited for her. I know that it’s been a while since she’s had a serious relationship … She’s got a big heart and she tends to give it freely.”
But about 15 minutes later, Lorenzo called The Post back after apparently being admonished by his daughter, who he said “just wants to keep everything private.
“I only talked to you because I felt it would be a positive thing, but she does not feel that way,” Lorenzo admitted.
“They’re friends, they’re not in a serious relationship,” he continued. “And I just want that to be clear.”
Lamas then characterized the connection as a “friendship,” noting Victoria and DiCaprio had met in a “social environment” rather than a romantic one.
“They were seen one time in West Hollywood at a club,” Lamas said. “I mean, that is not dating.”
Asked if Victoria was still “very smitten” with DiCaprio, Lamas demurred: “Yeah, smitten, but they’re not dating. She’s fond of him, obviously. But they’re not dating, and she does not want that out there because that would be really bad. It’d be embarrassing for her if he should happen to read something that said that they’re dating and they’re not.”
Still, Dad couldn’t resist doubling back on himself.
“They’re just friends, but she is smitten, of course,” he repeated. “And that was my cautionary tale to her: Just take one step at a time. But as of now, they’re not an item. They’re not exclusive to each other.”
Victoria Arlene Lamas — a 5-foot-8 brunette model and actress who, being under 25, fits DiCaprio’s type — has been thrust into the limelight since she was spotted last week with the actor at The Bird Streets Club in West Hollywood.
Lorenzo told The Post that Victoria intends to follow in his footsteps into the “family business” as a performer. It’s just a matter of time until she gets her “big break,” the proud dad insisted.
“I’m very close to all my kids, and Vicki’s the one that chose to be an actress,” he said. “And she’s just fantastic. She’s a great actress.”
Lamas and Victoria’s mother, Playboy Playmate Shauna Sand, 51, divorced in 2002. The couple had three daughters, Victoria, Alexandra, 24, and 21-year-old Isabella, who lives in Beverly Hills with Sand, according to her website. Neither Victoria nor Sand returned requests for comment.
Lorenzo, meanwhile, dismissed any potential concerns about the 25-year age gap between his daughter and DiCaprio.
“Age is not really a factor for me as much as respect, trust and communication,” he said. “That’s the key.”
The five-times-married Lorenzo — who is engaged to 37-year-old former model Kenna Scott, 27 years his junior — believes “age is just a number” and also isn’t worrying about DiCaprio’s hard-partying reputation, he said.
“Well, no, because my daughter is mature,” he added. “I trust her judgment.”
The Lamas family has deep roots in Hollywood. Lorenzo’s late father, Fernando Lamas, was an accomplished actor-director known for playing “Latin lover” roles in the 1940s and ’50s, including such MGM classics as “The Merry Widow” with Lana Turner and “The Diamond Queen” with Arlene Dahl.
Fernando went on to marry Dahl — Lorenzo’s mother — who herself starred in dozens of films and TV shows throughout her acclaimed Tinseltown career, including “Journey to the Center of the Earth” in 1959.
After Fernando and Dahl split, he went on to marry film star and competitive swimmer Esther Williams (“Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” “Million Dollar Mermaid”) in 1969.
Victoria’s stepsister, Shayne Dahl Lamas, 37, is also part of Hollywood’s orbit, having won the 12th season of “The Bachelor” in 2008. Shayne accepted Matt Grant’s proposal, but the pair split up months later before making it to the altar.
It remains to be seen whether romance will come from Victoria’s friendship with DiCaprio — who is often seen with his ladies on bike outings — but another source agreed that it’s not there yet.
“If they were dating, you’d see them every day doing other things instead of paparazzi pics,” the source told The Post.
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