Leonardo DiCaprio is heading into his fifth collaboration with Martin Scorsese with The Wolf of Wall Street this November. He is Scorsese’s Jimmy Stewart — a laced-up-to-the-collar everyman put in extraordinary circumstances. He anchors Scorsese’s camera by adding a down to earth normalcy. With De Niro, you think you know what you’re going to get — a darkness that worked for Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. But the director needed a new hero, one who could change his color with each new atmosphere he was put into. De Niro was uncorked, back in the 1970s, the minute he appeared on screen. You waited for his flame to rise. With DiCaprio, you never know where he’s going to take you. You never know what his breaking point is, what might set it off, or how far or deep he will go.
The trailer for Wolf is a dazzler and promises another inspired, trusted collaboration between artist and muse. Scorsese’s actors keep so much in that when they finally uncork it’s a spectacular display of emotional and physical extremes. In their first collaboration together, DiCaprio played the protagonist while giving the movie mostly over to the brilliant Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill the Butcher. Gangs would be their first mob movie together, which would be followed up by The Departed, and now, Wolf of Wall Street. Though DiCaprio would be paired up with another scene-stealer in Jack Nicholson, he was the one really coming unglued in The Departed. In The Aviator Scorsese facilitated one of DiCaprio’s most difficult performances and one of his best — it’s certainly way up there. As the nervous, stuttering, withering Howard Hughes, DiCaprio surprised everyone with his ability to play Hughes at every stage of his life. It would be his first leading actor Oscar nomination, with his second and last for Blood Diamond in 2007.
He wasn’t nominated for Gangs, or The Departed, or Shutter Island, or Revolutionary Road, or Inception, or J. Edgar, or Django Unchained. It makes you wonder, what do the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences have against Leonardo DiCaprio?
Some would say, like Tom O’Neil at Gold Derby, that the Academy hold grudges, or don’t take seriously, golden boys, or pretty boys. After all, one of them is headed for only his second Oscar nominations in four decades — Robert Redford who will be up for a win with All is Lost. Paul Newman didn’t win Best Actor until The Color of Money, after six acting nominations. Some might say, well Colin Firth is a pretty boy, why did he win so easily? But Colin Firth is British so that lends some “respectability” to the Anglophiles in the Academy. But he also had a significant disability, catnip for Oscar voters. Give them a major disability, make them gain weight, ugly them up? Had DiCaprio gained thirty pounds to play J. Edgar they would have taken notice. But as such, they figure the guy has everything already — good looks on top of power, wealth and fame. Why would they need an Oscar?
No nominations for DiCaprio’s deserving work could also go back to his early career. First he was nominated for Gilbert Grape and considered, at the time, one of the most promising young character actors. But then he did Titanic. Once he became the most desired man in the world his paychecks skyrocketed. Suddenly, the promising character actor, destined to play hunchbacks and drug addicts, was dating the most beautiful models in the world, jet-setting around with the beautiful people. It wouldn’t do.
Despite the celebrity he became, the quality of DiCaprio’s work has not diminished. There probably isn’t a harder-working lead actor than DiCaprio. Studio execs like to sign him because they know he brings in the box office numbers; Directors like working with him because he’s a damned fine actor. He has so many fans that decent box office is part of the deal. But he never had to work as hard as he has to prove himself as an actor. He’s always willing to try new things, to go the darkest places and to find his own tipping point. That tipping point has been best accessed by his collaborations with Scorsese.
As someone who writes about the Oscars, I am often asked by people why DiCaprio has been so often ignored, and why he’s never won an Oscar — but also, why he never gets acknowledged for his brilliant work time and time again. I don’t have any easy answer that would satisfy. Some say he has a baby face and he can’t scrub that off, not even with heavy makeup. Some say he’s no adept with accents and should never try to do them — though he handled his Boston accent as fluently as anyone besides the Boston-born Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon.
Maybe the worst case of awards negligence in DiCaprio’s impressive career was last year’s Django Unchained debacle. Although Christoph Waltz was co-lead in Django, the Academy choose to nominate him in the supporting category over DiCaprio — and then award Waltz with another Oscar for basically playing the same part as he played in Inglorious Basters was, to me, a true low point in lazy Academy voting. In fact, it’s so depressing to even think about it’s best not to go there. Waltz is great. His part is great. But he’s a co-lead character alongside Foxx. Waltz’s screen time and number of lines gave him an unfair advantage and represents Academy voting at its most lazy and Emmy-like.
So if you ask me why the Academy repeatedly ignores DiCaprio, the honest answer is — I have no clue. I don’t understand the male mind and never have. Since we now know the Academy is 70% white, straight, middle-aged male, you will have to ask one of them to explain why. To me, DiCaprio is only getting better, more daring, more exciting to watch. I even thought he turned in some of his work to date in The Great Gatsby. From the looks of The Wolf of Wall Street trailer we are in for another great one from both DiCaprio and Scorsese. What does that mean for Oscar? It means there’s a good chance that another of their collaborations will result in multiple Oscar nominations — Shutter Island (greatly underrated), notwithstanding — although DiCaprio himself has only benefited once.
One of the things we’ll remember about this era when we look back in decades to come is how little regard the industry seemed to have for DiCaprio whenever awards season rolled around, despite his consistent determination to challenge his own boundaries as an actor, and his ability to keep his core audience, his fans, coming back for more.
Leonardo DiCaprio and his female followers are constantly moaning and crying over him not winning awards. News flash, the Academy Awards have been overlooking great actors for decades… especially black actors.
Julianne Moore: she’s had no Oscar wins on four nominations, with at least four more
unrecognized performances deserving
of nominations. She should have been
nominated for Short Cuts,
Magnolia, A Single Man
and even The Kids are All Right (2010).
Meryl Streep: 17 acting nominations —t hree for Best Supporting Actress fucking 14 for Best Actress. Guess what?… she’s only had two Oscar wins.
Streep is synonymous
with the Oscars but hasn’t won one in 30
years! …I researched it. Even her brilliant portrayal as Anna Wintour in
2006’s The Devil Wears Prada…. no award!
Denzel Washington is said to be one of the greatest actors of his generation and last year BoxOffice claimed that he is the most credible actor in th world. The fuy has never made a sequel to any of his films! Therea no need because they were hits the first time round. He only has two Oscars…. Tom Hanks got all the glory for Philidelphia!
Many actors have been robbed man; Sydney Poitier and even the legendary Gary Oldman.
Everyone knows that females are prone to making emotional decisions, especially when a good looking man is involved. Maybe that’s why the author can’t understand ‘the male mind’ of the Academy. The reason, and rightly so, why DiCaprio hasn’t been awarded an Oscar is really simple: he hasn’t done anything Oscar worthy! There’s no question that Leo gets a lot of big roles, and that he pours himself into a lot of those roles. However, imagine a mediocre basketball player who happens to find himself on a winning team. Number 1, he’s lucky. And maybe he pours himself into his role on the team: so number 2 he’s involved. Does that make him a great basketball player? Does that mean he is talented? Should he win the MVP?
Look at DiCaprios roles. His top 3 or 4 were Catch me if you can, the aviator, basketball diaries, and the wolf of wall street. Every single one of them was about a real life person. Every single one of those real life persons had a lot of sound clips, video clips, and media surrounding them. It’s relatively EASY to pretend to be someone when you can either meet them in real life or study them from history.
Now look at his roles where he played someone who wasn’t a real person. The Departed? Gangs of New York? Blood Diamond? Titanic? All of those roles he could have easily been replaced, if not outdone by a different actor. All of them, with the exception of Titanic because it was one of the biggest movies of all times, had him playing roles that were 100% forgettable. Without looking, see how many of his characters names you can remember from these movies that aren’t Jack Dawson.
He is the definition of corporatized, processed crap. He is extremely good looking, sure, and pours himself into his very lucky to have roles. But that doesn’t mean he has talent. And it shouldn’t mean he should win an Oscar. He’s degraded film enough. Let’s not have him degrading the Academy too.
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He hasn’t won because HE IS NOT A JEW!!!
It’s painfully obvious. Jews run hollywood (seriously, look into it).
HOW DO YOU DO! SON.
A South African friend of mine told me that his Afrikaans was really very good. His Bostonian accent was confident, natural and seemed to match up with that of Damon and Wahlberg …in The Departed … but, for my ear, the Irish lilt in Gangs of New York just didn’t work. More opinions?
I was gobsmacked how well he acted a South African with a South African accent in Blood Diamonds.. That is when I saw what a good actor he is.
It never fails to impress me … how incredibly different people’s opinions are … and how vociferous they are … Anyway, I just watched The Basketball Diaries. Wow.
Not to fan the flames of conspiracy or anything, but Leo doesn’t wear a yarmulka. The Jews control Hollywood and Leo is of German and Italian ancestry. Let me reiterate the GERMAN part. Hmmmm…Jews….Germany. They go together like oil and water Also, Italy supported Germany in WW2. Yea, you can see where I’m going with this. If you think this doesn’t matter to Jews, you’re very naive. Hollywood is a closed Jewish circle, and if you aren’t in the “in” crowd (a jew or a gentile close friend of them), you don’t get the good roles or win the awards. One of the main reason Leo has been able to get the great roles in Hollywood (aside from being a great actor) is that Martin Scorcese cast him in a lot of the movies. Martin is Italian. Looking at the movies Leo has starred in, I don’t believe one of the director’s has ever been Jewish, aside from Spielberg.
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Hello! I think Django, J. Edward and Body of Lies are your best movies of the last years. But I have not seen his Great Gastby and his Wolf of Wall street yet. Kisses from Gran Canaria, Spain ;))
Leo should have won an oscar somewhere along the road. It doesn’t make any sense. He’s a great actor. His fans acknowldege his talent and support him. I never liked the Academy, who are they to decide what is “Oscar worthy” and what is not. They probably have biases towards certain people. It’s always a matter of opinion, there’s just happens to be held with more value. It’s the public opinion which matters most. I always thought that the public should have some vote in this matter. It’s not a serious one, but I feel that it would even things out on the playing field.
Leo is a big movie star but a average-‘good’ actor… rarely great. The problem, IMO, is that whatever movie he’s in, I always think, “that’s dicaprio”, and not the character he plays. Being such a big star, it’s hard for people to see anything but “Leo”,which is unfair for him, but its a typecast he’s developed for being famous. Generally, lot of people in the biz think he just plays himself with a new accent, or dress up, But he’s the same guy in most of his movies. The mannerism, the facial expression, the body language, vocal tone are all generally about the same.
If you compare him to someone like a Daniel Day Lewis, and watch DDL’s performance in lincoln, there will be blood, last moheekans, or as bill the butcher in gangs of New York… I don’t see him and think “that’s DDL”, because he “becomes” those characters. His voice, tone, mannerism, body language, pacing, are all completely different from who DDL is. I hardly recognize him, and his performance is captivating, which is a mark of a truly great actor.
Leo needs to take on a role where he pushes himself, and stop playing the same guy in every movie.
Leo is my FAVORITE actor, like most of the academy guys, besides the middle-aged part, I’m white and straight, and I totally believe that DiCaprio deserves an award… Either way though, He is the most amazing actor I have ever seen in movies, with or without an award. He makes the movie so much more enjoyable, he is so emotionally into it. He make you believe that he IS that character he’s playing. He’s what is inspiring me to practice making my acting as close to him as possible. I’ll never be as great as him, but I’ll sure damn try.
Leo can thank his lucky stars that River Phoenix left such a gaping hole in the industry with his departure as the greatest actor of that generation with such abundant raw talent, and Leo was in a position to step in; his career could have looked very different had River’s progressed.
@Sasha So glad to hear your bring up the Christoph Waltz win this year. Too similar to Basterds and I’m so happy to finally hear someone else say this! Lazy, lazy, lazy voting.
As for the DiCaprio matter, it’s just nonsense to hear people suggesting anything other than him being a hard working actor who challenges himself with a variety of roles and turning in some rather damn impressive work over his career so far. Not really quite sure what they seem to think qualifies as good acting if DiCaprio doesn’t fall into that category. Yes, DiCaprio has been forgotten by the Academy more than several times., however this is also the same Academy that gave Sandra Bullock an Oscar for The Blind Side. They’re beyond imperfect, as history suggests, but it’s just plain dumb to suggest Leo is not a good actor because the Academy isn’t crazy about him.
He’s a solid actor. No more no less. He falls back on a lot of his usual ticks and mannerisms. I actually think he plays safe with his role choices. He goes for obvious oscar bait films. He bores me quite frankly.
Leo isn’t nominated because he’s not very good. He never embodies a part – he’s the worst of every leading male stage actor from high school and college, the guy who seems to do all the method practice but just isn’t good at acting ultimately. It’s like someone who practices like crazy at basketball but just isn’t *great* – he’s not a great actor, not even a good actor, but a guy who tries really hard and gets really good parts but never makes them amazing. Some people are naturally talented at some careers – Christoph Waltz is a pure natural actor. So was James Gandolfini, Al Pacino, and Lee Strasberg. I just rewatched Godfather II – Strasberg is so settled into his character it’s almost zen. Leo ACTS and it’s obvious and it’s annoying.
Give me a break Tom, he is a very skilled actor. He was exactly what Titanic called for, not just a pretty face – and Titanic is better than The Aviator (a mediocre movie which relied on celebrities playing dead icons to generate buzz). Of course he’s the high-point of The Aviator, too. He’s great in The Departed, Django Unchained, Catch Me If You Can, and on and on. He’s a more than reliable actor who is often attached to movies that filmgoers want to see. He should have a couple more nominations considering his talent and body of work.
Leo is overlooked by the Academy because quite frankly he really is not very good. The nominations he has received are definitely more than enough for an extremely overrated actor. No! I do not hate Leo DiCaprio, but he really is not good. He is Okay at best and the only two films he showed any hint of great acting was Whose Eating Gilbert Grape and The Aviator. Even in the movie A Boy’s Life, he played nothing more than a punk kid that detested his step-father (who was horrible and abuse); but there are a lot of actor’s that have played that part and better i.e. James Dean. As for why he has not won any of the times he has been nominated is because one must look at who he was up against during that award season. Jamie Foxx was just too good to resist bringing a certain level of joy with every acceptance speech; and in 2006, a well underrated actor won and deserved his as well.
Young, good-looking actors and middle-aged, older actress typically do not win Best Actor or Best Actress. Old guys don’t appreciate the young Turks or grandmothers. Sure, sometimes they win, but it’s not often.
The older women that win are typically either “legends” or mega stars (think Katherine Hepburn or Marie Dressler). Only one actress in her fifties has won Best Actress: Shirley Booth. That should tell you something right there.
I think the Academy justifies awarding older actors with the logic that they are “due”… because they were ignored when they were younger (Paul Newman, Al Pacino)! Leo will get an award when he’s sixty or so.
I am not going to read all your comments -_- . I just took a look and I’m terrifyed of your comments … I see … Leo has many fans … but mostly haters . Even though Leo gave wonderfully great performances , they were not liked by people like you , and academy thinks just like you … I don’t know how can you hate him. He has the face of an angel and the voice of a god. Maybe he is not serious all the time , but when it comes to acting , he works very seriosly , he acts like an idiot (in the good sense) …i admit he is lucky enough for the age he is , but even though he doesn’t need the oscar , he deserves it. I mean , look at other actors/actresses , for example Jennifer Lawrence. I admit she is a very promising actress and gave very good performances compared to the other actresses of her generation (such as Kristen Stewart etc) but can her silver linings playbook be compared to leo’s performance at what’s eating gilbert grape ? You see , every great female actress has an Oscar (except Naomi Watts) , Kate Winslet has one , Nicole Kidman , Angelina Jolie , Cate Blanchett , Charlize Theron etc … but the greatest actors don’t have one : Leonardo DiCaprio , Tom Cruise , Johnny Depp , Brad Pitt , Matt Damon (he has an oscar for best screenplay but I mean oscar for best actor or supporting) . Young actors don’t have any and old actors have all more than one oscar : Jack Nicholson , Tom Hanks , Robert De Niro , Daniel Day Lewis etc … It means that the competition in Best Actor category is much more stronger , because the old actors always win :@@ When is Leo going to win ?? When he is 80 years old ? I mentioned other actors who haven’t win an oscar yet , but people don’t often argue about the fact that they don’t have oscar. Leo’s lack of oscae has become a real legend , at every blog and page you can see people commenting “why does he not have an oscar” and other people opposing them , giving arguments he shouldn’t win , there are also thousand of internet memes, people making fun with the fact he does not have an oscar. I mean , why do they only discuss about leo , and not about Johnny Depp , or Brad Pitt or any other actor … This only means one thing , that he really deserves it. I just hope 2014 will be Leo’s year and Wolf Of Wall Street , his movie <3 .
Sorry for my bad english.
He would’ve gotten my vote for “The Aviator”.
“To me, DiCaprio is only getting better, more daring, more exciting to watch”
I think the main issue is listed second here. He has only become more daring recently, especially with Django Unchained. We’ve gotten the paranoid and angst-ridden performance once too many times that after he was nominated three (3) times against tough competition, no one cares anymore.
I agree that it was rather lazy to nominate Waltz over DiCaprio for Django… But DiCaprio really just needs to surprise people. Heck, if he did a simple romantic-comedy, my jaw would drop.
Di Caprio anchors The Great Gatsby and keeps the film from sinking under the weight of Luhrmann’s flamboyance in the early part of the film. His entry into the film is dazzling, like Harry Lime or John Foster Kane. His smile illuminates the screen and establlshes a man of mystery and charm. The Academy just might recognize him with a nomination this year.
Ah yes, John Foster Kane.
“Pretty boy”
If you’re into the whole, Toffee apple on a toothpick look? Then yes.
He acts fine, but he’s not a particular favourite of mine. Post Titanic, I like him in The Departed.
Pre Titanic was mostly very good to excellent.
I think he has too much control over his performances now. And I don’t think he’s the best judge of his own limitations.
I think he turned in pretty good performances in “Shutter Island” and “Revolutionary Road”. Other than that . . . mwwwah.
My favorites of his:
1. Inception
2. Titanic
3. Blood Diamond
4. The Aviator
5. Catch Me if You Can
6. The Departed
7. Shutter Island
8. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
9. Django Unchained
10. The Quick and the Dead
Well it’s nice to know I won’t be committing total sacrilege. While there are several DiCaprio movies I’ve enjoyed for the director, story, dialogue, cinematography etc. His work by itself has been mixed. I always go to the films because of the top of the line people with whom he works, while I find Leo’s acting range goes from somewhat interesting to complete bore.
He was nominated for a Scorsese biopic before (The Aviator), so it could happen again for Wolf of Wall Street.
I actually don’t know why he was snubbed quite often. The biggest snub for me is still Catch Me If You Can.
But he’s looking more like an ageless “boy” than any other actor (except for Michael J.Fox of course).
The Academy is not all against pretty/handsome actors, when you look at nominees like Clooney, Pitt and Jackman.
But they award them not that often in lead. At least not that much as they do in Best Actress.
J.Edgar got very mixed reviews and DiCaprio doesn’t have the power to overcomes such reviews like Meryl Streep, although I don’t think WOWS will follow J.Edgar that way. We’ll see, but I just feel Wolf will be much better reviewed, despite it looks hilarious in some scenes in the trailer.
Most actors won in their 40s lead Oscars. He’s so actually more profiting from getting older. Even if he doesn’t get nominated for Wolf, he’s FAR AWAY from being done.
And if he REALLY never gets an Oscar…. then f*ck it. Yes countless actresses and actors have won Oscars where we think they don’t deserve them, but the cruel fact is they did anyway.
Winning an Oscar is hardly about a good performance. It’s about campaign, some kind of “narrative” and simply… the right moment.
But that does not make them more talented or respectable than Oscarless actresses and actors. At east not to me.
Guys,
This is getting a bit REDICULOUS. We all know that we wouldn’t be sitting here questioning DiCaprio’s talents if he already had 1 or 2 Oscars in the bag already. The point is that there is great injustice being done to the man and we all know it.
For example, what makes Jamie Foxx more deserving of an actor than Leo to have one? How about Forest Whitaker? Or how about Dujardin or Benigni or even Adrien Brody for that matter.
These are bunch if clowns that haven’t done anything before or anything since their “Oscar winning” performances and you are gonna tell me that they are more deserving to be Oscar Winners than Leo! Oh, please! Give me a break! Zip it! Might as well give one to Channing Tatum while you are at it and also to Bradley Cooper also!
It’s insane to even talk about it. DiCaprio is well and beyond any of these so-called actors and yet just because he doesn’t like to play the game or rubs people the wrong way gets consistently robbed. I’m sorry but this is a fact and there’s nothing that you can say about it. I am sorry!
Vily: You are being ridiculous. So the fact that several Oscar winners have failed to live up to their initial promise makes it evident that Leo should have won? There are literally dozens of great actors who have never even received a nomination, yet you whine about an actor who has received three already. Leo didn’t get his nominations (apart from the Gilbert Grape one) for being a singularly great actor, but because of his star status. He (and his fans) should be happy about that and leave it at that.
With the news of Gandolfini’s passing (now, that’s a talented actor, who never even received one nomination), it only goes to show how hollow this whole discussion is.
Hi!
I get the point about the many actors and directors that are great that haven’t been nominated.
If anything, that validates my point even more. The Academy have made dozens of wrong decision by actually rewarding mediocrity and a moment of brilliance. But how about rewarding conistency and great actors and directors overall.
Everyone talks how unjust and wrong it was to wait 20+ years to finally give the Oscar to Scorsese. Paul Newman, Robert Redfird – other great examples. Pacino – the list goes on and on.
Hasn’t the Academy learned from it mistakes? Or will it continue to reward single moments of brilliance among mediocrity.
I am sorry but Oscars are supposed to distinguish the great actors from the merely very good or excellent ones. But as you said there are many great actors that haven’t won or even been nominated.
That’s the unjustice. Because in the history books it will be known how Jamie Fox and Roberto Benigni are part of Oscar Glory and Academy lore while Sir Ridley Scott, Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick are not.
It’s an absurd situation and I would understand a gaffe or two – nobody is perfect.
But last year – the unjustice done to DiCaprio is beyond me. Leo is above and beyond those other “Oscar winners” and there is basically only two ways in which this disgrace can be resolved:
Either give him the Oscar this year or just forever live discredited as a body that rewards mediocrity and not greatness.
Just my two cents…
I don’t get the Leo love. He always sounds to me like a little boy in dress up trying to sound like a tough guy on “take your son to work day.” Nothing against the guy, but judging a good performance is totally subjective and he just doesnt do it for me.
No sense jabbing Waltz, though. I really hate the arg that his Django role = his Basterds role. Just cuz he’s chewing QT dialogue in that German accent does not mean its the same performance. I mean, even on the surface level, it’s like good guy vs. bad guy. Both charming and verbose, sure, but what happened to the appreciation of character actors?
Dear God, I hate Leonardo Di Caprio fanboys that act like he’s the most unfairly persecuted artist in the history of the world. Don’t be ridiculous. He’s a good actor, but not the best in the world, and there isn’t a single time when his performance was the best of the year or when he was completely unfairly denied.
Agreed. Making millions and doing what he loves to do and being adored for it. Ahhh. Poor guy.
All this talk about him being “ignored” by AMPAS is ridiculous. He’s got 3 nominations without a win. He’s not in bad company (Julianne Moore, Arthur Kennedy, Thelma Ritter, Amy Adams, Deborah Kerr, Peter O’toole). Not bad company.
And the entertainment industry is littered with deserving actors who haven’t ever been nominated by AMPAS.
I wonder if we know the real reason why Leo didn’t show at the Oscars the year James Cameron’s Titanic won? If it was because he wasn’t nominated, then he’s just a sourpuss.
I remember the ’97 Oscars, and Titanic got 14 noms, but Leo didn’t get one and didn’t bother showing up. I personally thought that was bad form: he should have been there if just to show support for the others. And I think you see that now with other snubbed actors who still show up esp. if their film is well represented. You have to wonder if Leo cares that much about winning: he’s the male Julianne Moore. And I think the Academy senses that. Maybe he’s still pissed about that snub (even though it was predicted.) Maybe someday the resistance will wear down.
As far as Redford he’s delivered a career of unworthy perfs: the fact he has one nom is incredible itself.
@austin111– Joaquin Phoenix: The Master; Tom Hardy: Bronson and Warrior; Gosling: Place Beyond the Pines and Drive; Leavitt: Brick and Looper; Wahlberg: Boogie Nights and I Heart Huckabees; Mackie: Half Nelson and the Hurt Locker; Renner: Hurt Locker and the Town; Christian Bale: take a pick.
Your argument is weightless at best.
Oh, Alboone, I can’t argue that Phoenix was great in The Master and and some other roles. Tom Hardy has also been quite good, if a little over the top at times. J.G.L. is a fine young actor but, honestly, Brick and Looper were oh so hip and glib. I’d take him in something like 50/50 or Inception, but not those things. Gosling I like but I think he’s actually starting to get a little stale — I say he needs to get beyond the uber violent, sensitive, stoical anti-hero shit, personally. It has some potency but getting a little old. Wahlberg is a better than decent actor but no comparison to DiCaprio in the range department. I never got the slobbering over I Heart Huckabees, by the way. Renner I can dig but some of his choices recently are basically in the “hold the nose and take the paycheck” department. DiCaprio, at least, doesn’t seem to do that shit. Christian Bale, fine actor, but with a few exceptions, he just seems a bit on the cold side to me. Matt Damon, on the other hand, I dig just fine. Your argument is not only a bit on the weightless side, you failed to actually read my entire post, focusing instead on your preferred named actors. Tut tut, don’t be so sensitive. It’s okay if you have your preferences. I have mine as well, and they are at least as valid as any of yours are to you. I just disagree with you heartily regarding DiCaprio who will likely be around much longer than your efforts to run him down.
And as for DiCaprio only going for “prestige” projects, that is just so much silly B.S. What other actor in his shoes wouldn’t go for those things if they could? I like that he chooses what interests him. Wouldn’t you do that if you could?
“Everyman”? The guy bones Victoria’s Secret models by the half-dozen. An everyman he is not.
DiCaprio versus AMPAS
There is no doubt that Leonardo is a talented fella, but dude has been miscast in several roles like Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Blood Diamond, Revolutionary Road, Django Unchained, Inception
His voice and looks makes him a babyface and less believable as a leading man for me. He is EXTRAORDINARY in Gilbert Grape, very good in Catch Me IF You Can and Titanic and good in the rest of the bunch.
I think that DiCaprio will be better after he turns 40 and gets a more masculine rugged face, his voice gets deeper with more male attitude compared to the boyish screaming voice of his
Looks what happens to Matthew McConaughey now!?! He is on a roll!
THANK YOU for Understanding the greatness of Leonardo Dicaprio! Hes the greatest actor since Jack Nicholson, and will most likely go down as the greatest. I still cant believe he was snubbed for Shutter Island and Inception, two of his best performances! He deserves a nomination for The Great Gatsby also, as he steals the show every second hes on screen. Give him an Oscar already. Him and Jack Nicholson are my two favorite actors.
@austin111– Joaquin Phoenix: The Master; Tom Hardy: Bronson and Warrior; Gosling: Place Beyond the Pines and Drive; Leavitt: Brick and Looper; Wahlberg: Boogie Nights and I Heart Huckabees; Mackie: Half Nelson and the Hurt Locker; Renner: Hurt Locker and the Town; Christian Bale: take a pick.
Your argument is weightless at best.
“Lars and The Real Girl” – Gosling should have been nominated for that.
Absolutely
Gosling – Blue Valentine (my favorite performance of that year)
Let’s not forget Ethan Hawke in Sidney Lumet’s “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”
Now THERE is an underrated actor. He was so great in that film.
I think Hawke or Franco might get Oscar before DiCaprio. They’ve paid their dues performing in the mediocre films that are the bread and butter of LA…. same reason Bullock won (please hold the Bullock rants). Just sayin that you get respect for doing your best in films with silly scripts and regularly talented directors.
How long has it been since DiCaprio did regular stuff instead of prestige pieces?
I think you are absolutely right. He should do rom-coms for ten years and then make a glorious COMEBACK. A bit of a cocaine habit would also do wonders for him.
I’m practically serious.
Again, before we go for mass psychoanalysis of 3,000 white male Academy voters, look in the mirror. When have we campaigned for him?
Before now, that is?
Personally, I would like to see him do some workman-like comedy movies… date night schtick. Seems like he’s always breathing rarefied air of grand tragedy.
Many people have. I know I saw many fans at awards daily championing him for Calvin Candie last year. The site itself wasn’t campaigning for anything from DJANGO UNCHAINED but I did think I saw ads.
And I’ve seen it in other places on the web in the past like Gold Derby, IMDb, etc. I know at the time many of us were pulling for him in the BLOOD DIAMOND/DEPARTED year, whichever side we were on.
If you were referring to his people, well that’s what he needs to do a better job with.
I like Leo but I think it’s too early for an Oscar Winning….maybe when he’ll be fourty-something…
he can’t really disappear into a role like sean penn or daniel day-lewis can- people always see “leo” and i think occasionally that makes it seem like he’s trying too hard, with all the weird accents and stuff. maybe he ought to just embrace the natural charisma that he has, because i also think he’s best and really appealing when he lightens up and is kinda comedic, like catch me if you can or something. he’s such a big star though and still fairly young- he’s gonna keep doing great stuff and eventually there will be pressure to reward him. i hope he’s not bitter about it- it took paul newman decades to finally win, but it’s not like that’s what cemented his legacy. not winning this stuff doesn’t diminish the person in any way, especially when they’ve got a career like leonardo dicaprio
First: I think there are a lot of interesting and fair assessments of Leo’s work in these posts. It would be easy for the naysayers to just dismiss him, but there are many good arguments to back it up. I am one of the naysayers, for sure, and to not repeat what’s already been said a thousand times before (on this very site), I just want to address not his merits as an actor, but the assumption that he has somehow been shortchanged by the academy (and repeatedly so).
Imagine all of the talented actors working in the industry. Then think about all the talented actors who have never even been nominated (just to mention a few: John Goodman, Ewan McGregor, John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, Donald Sutherland, Alan Rickman, James Gandolfini, Jim Carrey, Richard Gere, Guy Pearce…the list goes on). Why is it that Leo deserves that extra bit of recognition apart from him being a bigger star? I don’t see any. In my book he didn’t merit a nomination for either Blood Diamond or The Aviator (as Paddy said, that film is just “meh”). Maybe a nomination for The Departed would have been alright (instead of Wahlberg from the same film), but it hardly makes him overdue compared to all the raw talent out there that has a more intuitive presence in front of the camera (they don’t have to ACT, they can just BE, as one commenter put it). Besides, if you look at the actual nominees the years where Leo was either “snubbed” completely or didn’t win, you will soon notice that a win would have been completely out of place.
Bottom line: Because Leo is a bigger movie star than just about anyone his lack of an Oscar win seems more conspicuous than it really is. There are 30-40 actors out there that have just as big a claim on the statuette as he does, they just happen to be merely actors (as opposed to stars)
still waiting for him to make good on his promise to bring DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY to the screen. he bought the rights and has his pick of directors. H. Holmes was an evil, charming, multi-layered, resourceful man who rivals Hannibal Lector…and Holmes was real–with a bigger body count. DeCaprio would be great in the part. Scorsese would do a great job.
DiCaprio doesn’t leap to mind when I’m thinking about actors who Oscar has overlooked, perhaps simply because I don’t rate the guy as much beyond ‘very good.’ That’s not to say he isn’t sometimes great (Aviator, Departed, Inception, Gilbert Grape and I really thought he was awesome in J. Edgar) and he picks enough good projects that I can always expect to be entertained/intrigued by a Leo DiCaprio movie, but I’d say there are certainly a number of actors out there I’d consider more hard-done-by by AMPAS than him.
Re: Raymond’s comment about Samuel L. Jackson being the true best supporting actor in Django, I totally agree. Jackson was just astonishing, arguably more vile and yet unique than any major villain character (Joker, Landa, Chigurh) that has been awarded with a supporting Oscar in recent years.
I too believed that Leo was going to hit his Django role out of the park and nab himself a supporting Oscar, and yet all I could think of leaving the theatre was that Jackson stole the movie and overshadowed DiCaprio’s role. I wonder if some Academy members felt the same and thus didn’t vote for him.
Leo won Berlin best actor in 1997 . (romeo + juliet )
I have never seen what the hype is with Leo. I admire his hard work, but honestly, in every film, he just does not seem believable. He comes across as overacting in my opinion. Moreover, I think one issue is his very youthful look. Him playing these more mature men, he just comes across like a boy pretending to be an older man. That babyface does not help.
The movies I enjoyed him in were Catch Me If You Can and Gilbert Grape and Marvin’s Room. The rest were a bit painful to watch, especially Blood Diamond with that awful accent.
But he will get an Oscar folks, don’t worry. He will follow in the footsteps of Kate Winslet after so many nods.
Overacting usually wins Oscars. See, Penn, Sean.
@Villy When did Jamie Foxx become a rapper?
Did anyone think it’s because he’s still young????Academy seems to like their best actresses young, but really how many younger men have won best actor??? Brad Pitt nor Johnny Depp has won and theyré 50.
It’s just so frustrating. Great performances from The Aviator, The Departed, Django Unchained, Catch Me If You Can.
Inception was good also. It’s just that you expect greatness and you get it and still no recognition. I think that last year was the pinnacle of SNUBBING.
I think that if Tommy Lee Jones or Philip Seymour Hoffman had won I would have accepted it but to know that Christoph Waltz STOLE DiCaprio’s spot and then won just rubbed it in so badly.
I hope that his performance in the Wolf of Wall Street is so wild and eccentric that the Academy will be forced to take notice. We’ve been there so many times before though so I expect another robbery.
The thing is that Leo is also a producer of the movie so he should be nominated for that also but I know that Academy will figure out another way to deny him there as well. I hope for the best though.
I think Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the greatest living and working actors. I think that last year’s SNUB was absolutely DESPICABLE. Especially, because Christoph Waltz was not only picked in his place but, to add salt to the wound, won instead. That’s just disgusting.
I’m sorry, but Christoph Waltz shouldn’t have the same number of Oscars as Robert DeNiro. I don’t care who he is. He is definitely not even close to Leonardo in terms of quality of acting.
But yet he has 2 already. Same with Jamie Foxx. A rapper, stupid movies and all and yet he has one also. Sometimes, the Academy just baffles me for more times than I can imagine.
This year I expect the exact same thing. Let’s hope that they actually read these comments and do something for a change and give DiCaprio the Oscar already. The guy has done amazing work. He is one of the few actors living today for which people just wanna go see his movies because he is in them. The same thing used to be said about De Niro in the 70s and 80s and early 90s.
We shouldn’t really be talking about this. Leo should have at least one win in the bag and at least 5 nominations already. It’s simply beyond me why he hasn’t won already.
I think one of the reasons is that he just doesn’t like to play the game – i.e. he doesn’t like kissing ass and all. Unfortunately, in Hollywood, in order to win you have to play the game. Jennifer Lawrence did it last year – she kissed everybody’s ass, including Harvey Weinstein’s. It’s REALLY sad but it is what it is. Maybe Leo might have to do some of it in order to win. Or he can just say “F U to the Academy!” and get noticed that way.
Who knows! Let’s hope the movie is great!
OT: 1st Twelve Years as Slave images
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2013/06/18/12-years-a-slave-movie-first-look/2429803/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UsatodaycomMovies-TopStories+%28Life+-+Movies+-+Top+Stories%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
As the owner of a white straight male mind, I’d really prefer not to be lumped with the rest of them – w really don’t think collectively. Di Caprio’s a fine actor, and has done flawless work with a 100% hit rate since Gangs of New York. He’ll probably win one day, but until then, let’s just enjoy the work he does. I’m sure he’s fine not winning awards. Never feel sorry for someone with their own plane.
Lol
Wow! Is there a more polarizing actor out there? Hard to reckon with some of the naysayers here who run him down and others who admire his work. I fall in the latter category mostly. I honestly don’t understand the more avid naysayers though. They are like the grown up version of the internet boys who had sites around Titanic time like “I HATE DiCaprio” with a picture of DiCaprio being stabbed or hatcheted over and over. Everyone has a right to their opinion but these guys/gals go way overboard. Don’t get it at all. DiCaprio gave a lovely, confident and extraordinary performance in The Great Gatsby, not to mention highly intelligent and threaded with a bit of humor. It’s been praised by a number of quite literate Fitzgerald scholars as well. So for some folks to piss on it seems more than mere criticism. More like lazy dislike on their part. DiCaprio isn’t perfect but I don’t think any actor really is. Well, perhaps Day Lewis, who could play a snail on a razor if he had to. I too admire other actors but, and this is for Alboone, I have to say I disagree with you on a number of counts. The actors you call better than DiCaprio are all quite good in their way but they don’t consistently come across quite as vividly as DiCaprio on a great spin and I’ve also seen a number of them give less than sterling performances at times. Perhaps it would be more honest of you to say that you don’t prefer DiCaprio’s style. It rubs you the wrong way. Does that mean he can’t act? Heck no. It just means YOU don’t like his style. But he does in fact push himself more than most of the actors you name with a few exceptions. If he has a problem it’s that he’s not only a great actor, he’s also capable of being a great movie star, and what the hell is wrong with that?
Best acting work
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
Catch Me If You Can
Django Unchained
Revolutionary Road(a film that probably attracted Titanic fans, but we’re surprised to see how willing unlikable he was though not unsympathetic)
Last one….hmmm….maybe The Aviator. The Departed’s pretty solid work from him. Understated in Inception and nailed his last scene with Cotillard. The confession scene in Shutter Island is brutally good. Great case of self loathing. DiCaprio sometimes tries going a little too hard going against his charisma perhaps to prove people wrong. Kind of wish he didn’t do that. Didn’t care for him in J. Edgar and kind of thought he played Gatsby wrong. Can’t wait for Wolf on Wall Street.
Look here’s the bottom line about DiCaprio. The guy is truly well meaning when it comes to his work. I have nothing against anyone who makes it in this business, but when bloggers or culture critics start pining him as brilliant or underrated its a tall order to fathom. I will give him 3 performances: Gilbert, Titanic, Departed as being legitimately multi dimensional characterizations, maybe less so in Titanic but nevertheless still a homerun in my book. But what he does on a consistent basis is that he’s ACTING instead of BEING. You do not get points for exclaiming every emotion that occurs inside of you. His style of acting is perfect for theater, its big and broad. But in the movies it becomes grating. To me he’s been clearly outpaced by Matt Damon, Joaquin Phoenix, Tom Hardy, Ryan Gosling, Anthony Mackie, Jeremy Renner, Mark Wahlberg(yeah I’m going there), Christian Bale, JosGordon Leavitt. They’re letting me inside their heads by doing just enough where I can participate with them on their emotional journey. After seeing Gatsby I think he’s just become lazy because he knows he can get away with it. It takes more than a frown and a howl at the top of your lungs in carving out a performance. Whatever spark he had in the past is gone. And I also kept asking myself in the freakout scene in Behind the Candlelabra where Scott is on a coke binge putting it all out there about his identity to his scuzzy dealer friend, how Damon plays it is close to the razors edge but never goes over making his anxiety instantly relatable . With DiCaprio he’d be wailing for dear life sapping all the edge like a deflated balloon.
I don’t like conspiracy theories, burt for now I will create one: Di Caprio didn’t attend the 98 Oscar’s, and I can’t see no reason for that, than he was pissed off that he was left out of the race for Best Actor. The Academy members then lost all goodd will that they can have with him, because they thought is too arrogant for that guy who has the main male role in a mega-huge-ultra blockbuster like “Titanic”, to didn’t show some support for his nominated cast ladies, and for the guy (Cameron, of course) who is the helmer behind all. And they were “punishing” him since. Boy, after all I guess I love a conspiracy theory.
Jealousy.
I think Tom Cruise suffers from the same thing although I think DiCaprio is a better actor. They should both have statuetets by now. But they’ve got the money, and the looks, and the major blockbusters, and the money. lol
I honestly believe it’s that simple. Another issue with Leo was that he missed his best chance by pushing himself for BLOOD DIAMOND the year he should have gone all in for THE DEPARTED. He could have that issue this year again. I hope he makes the right decision this time.
I will slightly disagree with Cruise having the same problem. The year he lost for Born on the Fourth of July was the year Daniel Day-Lewis won for My Left Foot. When Cruise lost for Jerry Maguire, Geoffrey Rush won for Shine. Kind of hard to argue against those. However, I do believe he should’ve won for Magnolia.
DiCaprio’s best chance wasn’t The Departed, although it was clearly the better role. Forrest Whitaker was steam rolling the awards circuit with The Last King of Scotland.
Ah ha, yes! But had Leo campaigned for Lead Actor for THE DEPARTED they would have been able to negatively campaign against the category fraud of Forest Whitaker in THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND. He blew in on hype because most people hadn’t seen the film. They just saw the trailers and said ‘Oh give it to him.’ But had there been a challenge people would have realized Whitaker was really Supporting.
Ehhhhhhhhh I see what you’re saying and you bring up a good point…however category fraud is always tough to truly classify. Between Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter and Cruise as Vincent from Collateral yes on paper they are supporting because it is not their story. But they drive the story and alsmot are relied upon by the true main character. Foster relies heavily on Hopkins to find the killer and Foxx relies on Cruise not to kill him and, essentially, transforms because of him. I’d say the same of Whitaker. He’s more lead than supporting but he’s no more lead than James McAvoy. Without Whitaker’s Idi Amin there would be no story, McAvoy would live happily ever after in Uganda. Either way, Whitaker’s “supporting” performance was better than any males’ lead or supporting performance of that year.
I personally think he is one of our greatest actors, but I think that because of Titanic, some people will never see him as anyone other than versions of that character, which is why so many people on this thread consider him gimmicky. I don’t know how anyone here could actually argue that his choices are lazy however, because he chooses the most exciting projects consistently. I really do think he is taken for granted, because so many of his movies are people’s favorites, but mysteriously none of the credit is ever given to the leading role. I really do think his lack of nominations really stems from the academy demographic just not being that into him because of Titanic. I guarantee you if he hadn’t done titanic, he would have been nominated for many of the roles above. For some reason, despite most of his films being interesting prestige films, he still seems to exist in people’s minds as a blockbuster actor trying to be serious. Alas, maybe one day he’ll be able to do rid himself of the stigma. I think he’s best when he’s being more light hearted and comedic, like he is in catch me if you can. From this trailer, it seems like that will be the case, so here’s hoping!
The late Roger Ebert thought that DiCaprio was “robbed” of a nomination for Titanic and Ebert had a pretty good track record in my view for predicting Oscar winners. (He even called it early for Argo before he passed.) Anyway, Titanic had 14 Oscar noms, but not for the lead actor. The Academy didn’t seem to have anything against the film Titanic but against DiCaprio’s performance. In 1998 Entertainment Weekly put it like this: “Though he’s perceived as a fiercely talented actor and has been praised for his performances in movies like 1993’s This Boy’s Life, DiCaprio’s turn in Titanic is not considered to be his personal best.”
I seem to recall Ebert wrote he was “shocked, but not disappointed” that Leo wasn’t nominated for TITANIC, but on the show he said it was like not nominating Clark Gable for GONE WITH THE WIND.
I keep on hearing that he’s being ignored. Where does this concept of ignored come from? He’s 38 years old and has been nominated three times already! Plenty of wonderful, dedicated actors have not had that honour. Many of them are older. Plenty of incredible performances, including in the years DiCaprio was nominated, were never nominated (also, re: the Departed, wasn’t he nominated for Blood Diamond that same year?)
As for the ‘Academy bait’ roles – or the uglifying/ accent process – I think that’s only half of the picture. Because I don’t think it’s just what you do for the role but what roles you take. Let’s admit it, DiCaprio rarely takes risks. When was the last time he picked up an independent film with a shoe-string budget? A director who’s an unknown quantity? Even those who are, can you imagine DiCaprio in, I don’t know, a Terrence Malick movie? A David Lynch movie? He does studio film after studio film. These materials are rarely risky (in both senses – also for him personally, in that he is never in danger of falling flat on his face). And not just studio films, but Django was the first time – perhaps in his career since the mid 90s? – that he took a supporting role. He does what he does very well, sure, but what he does is awfully similar, so whether he needs to gain weight for the role or pick up an accept doesn’t change the fact that it’s not so different from what came before that.
Which is why, despite the trailer and everything we’re hearing, I’m still sceptic about Wolf of Wall Street. Martin Scorsese does what he does very well. Leonardo DiCaprio does what he does very well. But in the end, it’s still their fifth collaboration on a big studio movie and as ‘wacky’ as the trailer makes it, we still pretty much know what we’re in for. Maybe the academy just doesn’t want to honour someone who’s consistently been playing it so, so safe? No, Leo is not overdue or ignored, just like RDJ is not overdue or ignored, or Johnny Depp is not overdue or ignored. All three are very talented actors, who have been playing it safe for years, to the level of self parody. When they consistently get out of their comfort zone, maybe then.
I don’t think you can fault him for not taking a part in riskier films, because why would he when he’s being offered the lead in a Scorsese or Nolan or Spielberg film? He’s starring in great, ambitious projects, and you’d rather he go star in a film from an unknown?
Also, just because he’s got great directors behind him, doesn’t mean the project isn’t risky in any way. Roles like J. Edgar, among others, are plenty risky and challenging.
He does take risks. Howard Hughes – people thought he was nuts taking on that role. J. Edgar – same thing, a blonde 6-footer playing a dark bulldog! Blood Diamond and Inception – Leo as an action hero, never! And then he pulls it off and after a few years it morphs into “he doesn’t stretch, he’s always just playing himself.”
Exactly, Kim. He takes far more risks than most other actors. He could phone in a batch of romantic comedies, but he doesn’t. Although maybe that’ what he should have done. 15 years of idiotic comedies and the suddenly “The Aviator,” and everyone would be, “wow, he can act!” Instead it’s like, oh, yeah,Leo again. He’s always great.
But you’re looking at his age, not his career. He’s been acting since he was a kid and his first nomination was 20 years ago. Whether you like DiCaprio or not, given that some winners have only had one good performance, DiCaprio’s lack of a win or more nominations is baffling. Then, again, he doesn’t campaign much, so that probably irritates the geriatric Oscar voters.
He is my favorite actor, i can’t understand why he is not a Oscar Winner (he should have at least 2) even terrible actors like Kim Basinger, Sandra Bullock and Cuba Gooding Jr. Have one and he doesnt, WTF?
Thats the hard part; when you see the lengthy list of actors who have won that dont seem to be nearly as talented. I guess timing and luck really does mean a lot.
But then, I thought him taking a fun villain supporting turn in a Quentin movie would have locked up a nom for him, if not more. And look where that got him, nowhere.
Thanks for a good read, Sasha.
In some of those promising years of his, apparently DiCaprio, with his serviceable performances more or less, tended to find himself in close competition re awards season. [Someone (Kane) has already pointed that out in his comment as well]
I personally find his performances overreached, too theatrical, etc. For instance, [I know I’m one of those few] the one portrayed in The Aviator. . . . That said, again in the minority at least on AD, I however find his performance in Blood Diamond [The Departed, as well] very enjoyable and natural, and I have no problems with the Oscar nom achieved through his effort in that film (instead of The Departed; it could have gone either way in my book). In Blood Diamond, thanks in part to […] his talented co-stars Jenny Connelly and Dijimon Hounsou in particular, he is the one that helps carry the film — to me, it definitely justifies his nom for the effort made in that film.
This looks to be another hopeful year of his, though. (We’ll see….) : )
The Django year truly is a mysterious one to him. Too bad.
I also thought he was great in Blood Diamond and thought the accent sounded pretty good, as well.
Welcome to the club, John. Cheers.
it’s us, too. when has it ever felt urgent? maybe it will this time.
As Sasha said, DiCaprio already seems like a winner. It’s not like awarding Colin Firth, Jamie Foxx, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Forest Whitaker. It’s the same problem with Spielberg–if you ask the common man, Spielberg and DiCaprio are already as big as you could be; there isn’t an Academy passion story behind an Oscar win.
I also think he has been unlucky given who he has been up against at each particular year.
For me, the lack of wins is not surprising, but the lack of nominations is. I think he certainly should have been nominated for “Revolutionary Road” and “The Departed”. If he was lesser known, he DEFINITELY would have been nominated for those roles.
Sasha, didn’t you say that his role in Django was not nearly as menacing as it was supposed to be? I don’t think he deserved to be nominated for that role at all. If anything Samuel Jackson was the one who was robbed of a nomination.
Maybe the academy didnt want to award his continious one note of “nervous breakdown” acting. How come when someone like Amy Adams gets ignored no one cares. Or Matt Damon, who doesn’t even get the nominations that Leo gets. Damon has given quality work for years and the academy ignores him and so do the bloggers and critics. And no one every says anything like “Leo needs to play against type” but that is said about many other actors. Leo has been phoning it in for a while now. Im not saying he is bad in the movies, but he is just really playing a variation of the same character. When Leo plays something outside the box again like Gilbert Grape then I will root for him until then, pass.
I think Matt Damon is great. Hes always sturdy or even quite good. But Ive never seen him stretch as much as DiCaprio does in most of his roles.
Amy Adams has been nominated four times in eight years.
Amanda, Matt Damon WON an Oscar in 1998 for his script.
That year, he was also nominated as a best actor over DiCaprio.
Everbody on the Titanic boat got nominated but him.
When DiCpario wins an Oscar, we can compare Damon and Leo’s treatment. In the meantime, sorry, but Damon had the upper0hand and Leo is still the under-dog.
Trying to figure out why he isnt nommed more really is a puzzle.
-Hes worked with more than enough actors to attain respect; it is actors who nominate.
-But maybe it really IS the older white male actors who dont jump for him.
-Ive never heard any bad buzz/dislikablility about him, really.
-Maybe its the campaigns that dont come through for him (like last year … I mean … He should have been nommed and potentially won given the story that hed be the only one without an Oscar).
-Maybe its stiff competition (but really, only a couple of years).
-Maybe he cancels himself out (Gangs and Catch Me, Inception and Shutter).
-But yeah, I think hes one of our best actors who always gives a lot of passion to his roles. He may not always hit the ball out of the park. But hes a talent that deserves more noms and/or a win one of these years.
they can’t keep ignoring him forever, can they? he’ll get an honorary oscar anyway if not a competitive one.
Colin Firth is a pretty boy? Yikes, far from it. If anything, Jean Dujardin is.
Yup, Jean Dujardin has the most beautiful face to grace the screen in years but he’s French and exotic so it’s easy to vote for him.
@Henrik – I completely agree with what you wrote. He is simply an overrated actor.
I can’t think of any more overrated actor alive. People are calling him one of the greatest of our generation. He is solid, but he has NEVER blown me away.
Sasha, I agree that at times DiCaprio could be taken a bit more seriously but he’s done pretty well for himself as an actor who brings millions of dollars to the box office. However, when you look at the years his performances were overlooked it’s justified in my opinion.
2009 – Sean Penn, Mickey Rourke, Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins and Frank Langella were the nominees when he was overlooked for Revolutionary Road. Maybe take out Brad Pitt for Benjamin Button but I wouldn’t say he was robbed.
2011 – Colin Firth, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeff Bridges, James Franco and Javier Bardem were the nominees the year Inception and Shutter Island were released. I can’t imagine DiCaprio besting any of those performances.
2012 – George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Jean Dujardin, Demian Bichir and Gary Oldman were the nominees when J. Edgar was in the running. Michael Fassbender or Michael Shannon should probably have edged out one of them but who? DiCaprio was behind the two men left out.
I will say he was robbed of a nomination for Django Unchained and The Departed but other than that he’s always up against very stiff competition. The fact that he’s always up for a Golden Globe nomination shows that he’s probably just behind the 5 Oscar nominees. The only gripe I really have with DiCaprio is, as fantastic an actor as he is, his voice sounds mostly the same. I can’t explain it and it sounds so nitpicky but he still sounds like that young boy, even when he overacts or gets excited, in Titanic yelling “I’m king of the world!” I’m never really seen him shed his celebrity and disappear into a role save for Gilbert Grape. I don’t blame him, I think he gives it his all but some of his performances, even the “out there” ones will seem like gimmicks.
But doesn’t your list prove Sasha’s point, though? All those opportunities, all those great performances, in such a short time span – and he loses out EVERY TIME.
Not quite, my list says that DiCaprio should normally be considered for a nomination whereas Sasha is saying that the Academy constantly overlooks him. I’m giving a reason for him being overlooked and those are the performances who have flown higher than his in certain years.
I don’t think Sasha or anyone else means DiCap should be nominated once a year. The point is, he never gets nominated.
In the small paragraph she states that he wasn’t nominated for all those roles and then wonders what AMPAS has against DiCaprio. It’s also weird when you say he never gets nominated…yet he has 3 Oscar nominations. And again, he’s always up against some pretty stiff competition.
Hope you’re not taking this as me being prissy or anything, I’m a fan of the Leo
I suppose Ignored = Nominated 3 times? If only other actors could be equally “ignored”.
AMPAS’ DiCaprio-snubbing has made me livid more times than I care to admit. But I’ve always said to myself that I am biased, that I’m over-reacting. But the Django thing – that was just cruel, for all the reasons Sasha lists. It’s like they were saying: “If there were only five actors alive in the world, and you were one of them, DiCaprio, we would nominate four actors and a plant.”
I don’t have a clue why they are doing it, of course. Jealousy is a possibility: he’s talented, good-looking, wealthy and smart. The whole package.
Or could it be that they’re taking him for granted? People seem to do that a lot: “Leo is amazing per usual, but – Edgerton! Wahlberg! McConaughey! Waltz!”
It angers me that AMPAS isn’t doing its’ goddam duty. This chapter of The Story of The Academy will be titled: “While AMPAS slept” and I think historians will have huge problems trying to understand the choices they made. (Sasha nailed that point in her post.)
And, yeah, I feel sorry for Leo. He may be richer than God and so on, but we all want the respect of our peers. And he has earned it many times over.
Jealousy is a possibility: he’s talented, good-looking, wealthy and smart.
Lets’ try not to hurt the feelings of 100 other Oscar-winning actors who are also talented, good-looking, wealthy and smart.
Your sensitivity does you credit, sir! But how many had what DiCaprio has, at DiCaprio’s age? Brando and De Niro had no Titanic, did they?
And I’m not sure you can compare actors through the ages: Was the average age of AMPAS members 138 when Brando was in his prime? Or even De Niro?
But I confess, I’m not an expert and it’s a good point. I’ll look into it.
I agree with these points. He’s so consistently great he really does seem to be taken for granted at this point. On a side point, I have to say I really don’t understand some of the commenters here. He was bad in Revolutionary Road? His accent was bad in Blood Diamond (just ask people from that area, it’s an incredibly tricky accent and he nailed it)? Catch Me if You Can was “lazy”? Django was “comically bad”? Wtf people?
Agree with Paddy for the most part. Leo has been mailing it in for a while now. There are only so many times you can do the squint with the low whisper voice and still consider it acting. Adding a finger point does not change that either.
Honestly I thought he probably deserved it for The Departed, but since then he doesn’t seem to try that hard. Can’t even believe his performance in Revolutionary Road is being brought up as a positive. That movie should have been brilliant but wasn’t because the acting was just so subpar, aside from the brilliant Michael Shannon of course.
I think it’s taken for granted that getting an Oscar nomination (and a win for that matter) is heavily dependent on luck. It’s a popularity contest with a bit of luck thrown in. I think, it would be easy to compare him to someone like Kate Winslet…who steadily turned in good performances and never won until it got to the point where it seemed that she was overdue simply because of the sheer number of losses.
Has DiCaprio been the best performance in any of these years compared to the other contenders or does he just have bad luck and/or poor popularity within the industry itself?
The answer is probably a combination of the two, but I think it’s inevitable that he’ll win eventually. The narrative of him being overdue will pay off the next time he’s nominated or soon after.
There are a number of actors who, too, have been passed over like Leo. Samuel L. Jackson comes to mind. Leo hitched his lucky star to Scorcesee and eventually (if he lives longer) Scorcesee will help bring his Oscar. But what to make of Scorcesee FINALLY getting an Oscar after being overlooked for years? So the Oscar has bypassed many deserving actors & directors.
I dunno, I counted five of those movies I saw Leo in and only Catch me if you can (he should have been nom’d for THAT one) Departed and Django was I impressed and walked out saying, yeh, he did a very good job and needs award recognition. There’s something about his acting, or maybe it’s his pretty boy face….maybe Leo should try Broadway or a comedy to expand a bit.
Top 10 Leo Roles:
1. The Aviator
2. Revolutionary Road
3. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
4. Catch Me If You Can
5. Shutter Island
6. The Departed
7. Inception
8. Django Unchained
9. The Great Gatsby
10. J. Edgar
For me, Leo’s work has varied enormously over the years.
A Boy’s Life, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Total Eclipse: raw talent, affable, vibrant, very promising
Titanic, The Beach, Catch Me If You Can: Underwhelming characters, lazy acting
The Departed, Shutter Island, Inception: Inspired work, tough roles, bold performances
J Edgar, Django Unchained, The Great Gatsby: Arrogant, complacent, over-reaching, irritating, distracting, comically bad
And then there are the anomalies, like Revolutionary Road which was beyond his grasp and Blood Diamond which boasted his worst accent (among many).
I think the Academy has ignored him for two reasons: his pretty-boy status, and his dreadful performances in films like J Edgar and Django Unchained, although he no doubt came close with both of those films.
His Django performance is the only NBR Best Supporting Actor win for one actor in one role not to be nominated for the Oscar since 1979, btw.
Curiously, you left out The Aviator, his best performance to date.
That’s not curious. My above post doesn’t have a ‘meh’ category.
I wish the comments had a ‘meh’ category so I could file your meaningless comments there.
Why so hostile?
No offence but you have no idea what you’re talking about – leave the critiquing to the professionals
I agree with Paddy. Leo arrived on fire with A Boy’s Life and Grape, but then didn’t turn in truly great performances until Departed (for which he should have received his nom), Shutter Island and Inception.
His last three major roles have not been a success because he hasn’t breached a serious gap – instead of watching a character, we’re watching Leo act.
It will be tough for him to get around this because for any actor overfamiliarity is a bitch. You can be a star, but get your accolades first. The roadside is littered with those who tried it the other way around, and the ones who have succeeded have the scars to prove just how tough doing it that way is (Bullock or Newman, anybody?)
Leo will get his Oscar, but he’ll be in his 70’s playing an old crank (probably an alcoholic) with one leg who speaks in tongues. It will primarily be a thank-you for his early work, but the purists will scream “sentimentality”. Few will have seen his early stuff.
I agree with me too!
Bitch plz, I saw J Edgar, Leo already speaks in tongues.
You’re a fuckin idiot!
Oh boy, here we go…
That´s what I was thinking…