Will his wait be over?
It’s not uncommon for the Academy Awards to make an actor/director wait before rewarding them with an Oscar – Al Pacino had seven nominations before he won the Best Actor accolade for Scent of a Woman and Paul Newman had the exact same wait – but in Leonardo DiCaprio’s case, it seems that his Oscar drought is the current focus for many.
Martin Scorsese has directed DiCaprio in five films now and even the iconic filmmaker lost out 7 times before winning with The Departed but the question remains, will DiCaprio’s losing streak come to an end?
Bookies have made the star of The Revenant the odds on favourite this year, he’s at 1/100 with some of them , but what about those other years when DiCaprio lost out?
Film nominated and year: What’s Eating Gilbert Grape – 1993
Category: Best supporting actor.
Plot and his role: Lasse Hallström’s drama about life in Middle America is straightforward, simple and stunning. The story revolves around Johnny Depp’s character Gilbert Grape , a compassionate teenager that’s forced to take care of his morbidly obese mother while also looking after the safety of his other family members. The problem though is that Gilbert’s current life and any potential future away from this small town is being stunted by these constant obligations to his family.
It’s Gilbert’s love and bond with his brother Arnie though that gives the film its real strength and meaning.
DiCaprio’s turn as seventeen-year-old with severe learning disabilities is an absolute tour de force and it helped cement his position as major talent to watch following an impressive breakthrough performance in This Boy’s Life.
Lost out to: Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive.
Deserved decision?: Definitely not but Leo wasn’t the only victim of injustice that year though because Pete Postlethwaite was also overlooked for his brilliant turn as Giuseppe Conlon in In the Name of the Father.
It’s worth noting that DiCaprio was still only 18 though when he played Arnie and his performance – in both the physical and dramatic stakes – was definitely Oscar worthy.
Film nominated and year: The Aviator – 2005
Category: Best Actor
Plot and his role: The biopic focuses on the early years of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes as his career takes off and personal life crash lands. DiCaprio almost gives two performances in the film. The first half sees him effortlessly play the charming, extravagant and brilliant billionaire but it’s Hughes’ later years where he excels as an actor because Leo goes all out.
Locked away in a screening room, scruffy, crippled by OCD and pissing into bottles, DiCaprio gives an absolutely a fearless performance that’s brimming with frustration, doubt and madness.
Lost out to: Jamie Foxx in Ray.
Deserved decision?: Tough one to call but the Academy probably made the correct decision. Foxx was absolutely mesmeric as Ray Charles.
Film nominated and year: Blood Diamond – 2006
Plot and his role: A fisherman, a mercenary and a syndicate of shady businessmen clash over the possession of a priceless diamond that’s found in war-torn Sierra Leone. DiCaprio’s character Danny Archer holds this fragile team together but he’s far from a conventional hero. Conflicted, damaged and tortured by his roots, he’s a mercenary that does whatever’s necessary to survive. TIA.
Lost out to: Forrest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland.
Deserved decision? Mmm, probably not. Blood Diamond is a film that has become a cult favourite but it never struck me as being exclusively made for the purposes of ‘Oscar bait’. By this I mean that Ed Zwick’s film is very enjoyable, but there are times when it’s tone is stuck between being a socio-political drama and a conventional action-thriller.
DiCaprio’s performance is excellent though but I can understand why Whitaker got the nod from voters, however, it’s also worth noting that Leo also starred in The Departed that year (he wasn’t nominated though for some reason) and Academy voters have been known to take into account an actors cumulative body of work that year when making their decision.
With this in mind, he 100% deserved to win an award that year.
Film nominated and year: The Wolf of Wall Street 2013
Category: Best Actor.
Plot and his role: Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, TWOWS charts his rise from a poor salesman to being a wealthy stock-broker that lives the high life of crime and corruption. DiCaprio’s descent from impressionable but idealistic stockbroker into an obnoxious, loud and ‘ludes using jackass is something to behold.
Critics of the film found DiCaprio’s portrayal of Jordan Belfort’s rampant bravado and egotism infuriating, but the Academy disagreed and they nominated him for the fourth time.
Lost out to: Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club
Deserved decision: Let’s be honest. Academy voters are usually quite conservative in their tastes and The Wolf of Wall Street was never going to be their cup of tea, regardless of how good DiCaprio was in it. They made the right call.
Still though, the quaaludes scene really is something else.
Clip via – St D
Film nominated and year: The Revenant – 2016
Plot and his role: While exploring the uncharted wilderness in 1823, legendary frontiersman Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) sustains injuries from a brutal bear attack. When his hunting team leaves him for dead, Glass must utilize his survival skills to find a way back home to his beloved family. Grief-stricken and fueled by vengeance, Glass treks through the wintry terrain to track down John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), the former confidant who betrayed and abandoned him.
Other Nominees: Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Matt Damon (The Martian), Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs), Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl)
Will he win?: The bookies seem to think so and while Eddie Redmayne offers the most likely competition, we’re confident in saying that the Academy won’t torture Leo any longer.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
