Making movies in exotic locations isn't always as glamorous as it might seem.

While waiting around for hours in a dark, African swamp, Leonardo DiCaprio and his "Blood Diamond" co-star Djimon Hounsou dreamed up all sorts of sugary sweet escapes.

"Djimon and I would sit there and talk about the different kinds of hot chocolates you can get in Paris and croissants and chocolates, and dream like two weird women [about] pastries," DiCaprio says.

The press laugh -- DiCaprio hasn't been this charismatic in quite a while. He was almost dour while discussing "The Departed" a few months ago, but he's enthusiastic about his new thriller, which addresses a very serious subject -- the excavation of diamonds to help fuel a civil war in Sierra Leone in the late 1990s. As a mercenary who uses these diamonds to build his personal fortune, DiCaprio's character, Danny Archer, is initially unsympathetic. Things become more complicated when he meets Hounsou's character, who knows the location of a valuable diamond that the rebels are after as well, but also needs Archer's help to find his missing son.

Years after the initial conflict, "blood" or "conflict" diamonds are still a problem today. DiCaprio relied on Amnesty International and other human rights groups while investigating how the public can stop this travesty from occurring.

"You have to go into the stores where you buy these diamonds and ask for a certificate and for some authentication that this isn't a conflict diamond, and use your best judgment," DiCaprio says. "That's one of the biggest ways this whole process can be stopped."

Along with his acclaimed performance in "The Departed," "Blood Diamond" represents another "adult" role for the seemingly forever-young DiCaprio. At the ripe old age of 32, DiCaprio admits he's never really thought about how he comes across on screen.

"I never thought about choosing a specific role because it would make me seem more manlike," he says laughing. "Even with roles like 'Catch Me If You Can,' I was 8 years or 10 years older than the character I played. I think these things are really something intangible, that you can never really control. I've been in plenty of situations where I thought the film would turn out a certain way or my performance would be looked at one way, and it was an entirely different situation."

Yet, both of DiCaprio's performances in "Blood Diamond" and "The Departed" are receiving awards buzz. Is he ready for a possible third Oscar nomination?

"I dunno," DiCaprio says. "Once again, that goes into the hands to all you people to pick this all apart -- compliment it or insult it. We'll see."

"Blood Diamond" opens nationwide Dec. 8.