Inception Countdown Post #3
Perhaps Leonardo DiCaprio is destined to be a movie star. The 35-year-old actor was born in Hollywood after all, and had started acting from as young as five years old in TV shows and commercials. I first noticed Leo in the sitcom Growing Pains when I was in Jr. High, as the geeky, gangly homeless boy. Who’d have thought that just six years later, he became the major heartthrob of his day with Titanic. I’ve got to admit I had a massive crush on him, well on Jack Dawson to be precise, just like girls are bewitched by Twilight‘s Edward more than R-Patz himself. In any case, I rented practically every one of his movies I could get my hands on: The Quick and the Dead, The Basketball Diaries, Romeo + Juliet, etc., even obscure ones like Total Eclipse, where he played a gay French poet Arthur Rimbaud.
Though James Cameron’s highest-grossing movie of all time made Leo a star, it wasn’t exactly his acting breakthrough. There have been noteworthy performances prior to it that got him noticed by Hollywood. One in particular was The Boys’ Life (1992) as a troubled teen, alongside Robert DeNiro and Ellen Barkin. He then nabbed an Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor playing a mentally disabled boy in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (2003). Today, the headliner of Inception is easily the biggest movie star of his generation, so much so that we can pretty much say just the first three letters of his first name and people will know who we’re talking about. Thankfully, unlike a bunch of other stars, Leo’s talent and body of work do measure up to his level of celebrity.
Here are just a few more reasons why he’s definitely chat-worthy:
- His ability to overcome his matinee-idol image. After the Titanic‘s Leo-mania, he took a few years break from acting (he only briefly appeared in Woody Allen’s Celebrity). If there ever were a class about ‘how to survive massive sudden fame and rise above the overwhelming hype,’ DiCaprio would be the ultimate Exhibit A.
- He’s much more than a pretty face and never capitalize on his looks on choosing movie roles.
- He’s a favorite among the best filmmakers in the biz, who’ve worked with him multiple times: Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott. And he’s collaborated with other well-respected directors throughout his career: James Cameron, Sam Mendez, Danny Boyle and now Christopher Nolan.
- He lives a relatively ‘quiet’ personal life, despite being a paparazzi fodder due to his popularity, he’s rarely in the tabloids for drug/alcohol abuse or other heinous acts.
- No matter what your political leanings, his commitment to environmental causes is admirable. He’s also shown considerable charity, i.e. donating $1 million to the Haiti earthquake relief efforts.
I was going to do my Top Five Favorite Leo DiCaprio movies, but I’ll reserve that until I see some of his recent movies Revolutionary Road, Shutter Island and of course Inception. From what I’ve seen so far though, Blood Diamond, Catch Me if You Can, and Titanic would likely make the list. One thing for sure, we haven’t seen the last best performance out of this A-lister just yet, I mean, just look at his list of future projects listed on IMDb. It even surpassed that of the most prolific guy in Hollywood Ridley Scott with no less than 21 rumored projects! But unlike Sir Ridley who directed him in Body of Lies, Leo’s only half his age. Speaking of which, the two’s recently been rumored to re-team for Wolf of Wall Street, a mere weeks after Leo’s rumored to take on J. Edgar Hoover’s biopic. Well, whatever movie he chooses next, we know he’ll always get his game on.
What are your thoughts on Leo? Want to share your favorite Leo DiCaprio movie(s)?
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I was pretty neutral about Leo, until I saw Revolutionary Road. I loved that movie, and he was fantastic in it. It made me officially a fan.
He’s undeniably a great actor, but I personally think that he’s occasionally miscast. Gangs of New York was not a very good fit for him or Diaz. Inception looks perfect for the guy, though. I fully expect it to be some of his best work.
Oh, and you should check out Will Smith’s page on IMDb, he also has an absurd number of movies in development. I hope these actor’s realize what a compliment it is to have so many people interested in working with them.
Y’know, the last few years I’m neutral about him, too, I think he just got too famous. That’s why I haven’t seen a few of his movies in the last few years. But I have to admit he’s a great actor and he’s proven that time and again.
I see your point about him being miscast in some roles. I think you could almost say he might not be the best choice to play Howard Hughes.
“I hope these actor’s realize what a compliment it is to have so many people interested in working with them” You got that right, some studios might just ‘associate’ themselves with some of these big names just for publicity sake though.
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I don’t like Leo that much. Definitely don’t get the “heartthrob” thing. But I find The Man in the Iron Mask highly amusing, and The Quick in the Dead absolutely worth seeing, and not just because Russell Crowe is uber-hot in it. And is, well, in it, period. 😀
I think I might’ve mentioned to you when we met that he isn’t necessarily my favorite actor, I don’t always seek out his films like I did with GB or RC. But when I do watch his films I enjoy seeing him, and for that reason, among others, he’s very chat-worthy. My memory might’ve ran away from me a bit when I wrote this. I think I checked out The Quick and the Dead for Crowe, NOT Leo… he was indeed muy caliente in that film 😀
As for Man in Iron Mask, as I said in my tribute post for it, I watched it for the other actors besides Leo, especially Gabriel Byrne!!
I have a feeling The Quick and the Dead is in my near future again…husband hasn’t seen it!! Mmmm.
I’ve enjoyed Leo in everything I’ve seen him in, he is really growing into himself as a serious actor, one of the few who can pull off mega-star and prodigious talent.
That is a rare thing in Hollywood, to have that balance of talent and star power. A lot of them are famous for other reasons that their work, so it’s nice to see Leo maintaining the level of quality he does with his films.
Definitely “chat-worthy” he’s probably my favourite actor of his generation…oh wait, no that’s Jude Law, but he comes close. He has to work doubly hard to impress because he’ll always have that “just a pretty face” moniker attached, but he keeps on doing excellent work. Definitely check out Revolutionary Road. A few were mixed on it, but I think it’s quite excellent and Leo/Kate are brilliant.
Hi Andrew. I know you like Leo, but Jude Law huh? I’ve always thought the guy is gorgeous but great actor, I’m not sure yet. I think the pretty boys are actually judged more harshly, especially when they reached such mania level like Leo did after Titanic. But Leo doesn’t have to worry about that now, I think most people regard him as ‘more than a pretty face’ now. I’m curious to see how R-Patz come out of the Twilight hysteria… I think the bloke has to work three times as hard to prove his acting chops, that there’s more to him than the pasty, sparkly, emotive vampire 🙂
Hi!
I just couldn’t not comment on this post, since this post is almost the exact english translation of a post on my blog (but in dutch), after watching Shutter Island a couple of months ago. (I’m almost sure you cannot read Dutch, otherwise I would say you copied the text 😉 I also had a crush on Jack Dawson (although I discovered him before Titanic, in Growing Pains and Romeo and Juliet, I am proud to add) and this crush has changed over the years into admiration for this great actor. You have to watch his recent work, expecially Revolutionary Road, in wich he beautifully acts together with Kate Winslet, what chemistry between those two!! I can’t also not wait until Inception, I hope I can say that the combination of Nolan and Leo was a match made in heaven. Nice blog!
Hello Jorien… no I don’t read or speak Dutch, even though my mom and grandma did – I’m Indonesian so you know why that is 😉 I wish I did though, it’s always nice to know a bunch of languages.
Anyway, do you have a translation to your post on Leo? I’d love to read it. I think a lot of girls had a crush on him from Titanic, but you’re right, it’s developed into a considerable respect for the guy, which is admirable on Leo’s part. I will check out his recent flicks, even just to see how Jack & Rose reunite 🙂
You know I’ve seen all of Leo’s films, good and bad ones and yet I’ve never considered him my favorite actor. I always tell people that Tom Cruise is my favorite but the last few films from Mr. Cruise has been disappointing. I might have to say Leo is my favorite actor now after I saw Inception.
Not my fave either, but I admire his work as an actor. Must be tough telling people Tom Cruise is your fave, especially these days. I don’t know if he’ll ever bounce back to the level of stardom he did a decade or so ago, as he’s become the butt of jokes of people now (which is self-inflicted IMO).
So you’ve seen Inception? I thought you’re going tonight.
A very nice piece here and an enjoyable countdown to the film. He has indeed become a very skilled actor and has made some smart choices. I look forward to your Inception review. I will be seeing it this weekend, though I remain somewhat nervous that Nolan’s film won’t be as strong as everyone so desperately wants it to be.
Thanks Peter! I’m planning to see it with my friends Sunday. I’m keeping my expectation in check going into this, though my gut says even if I don’t absolutely LOVE it, I’d at least respect this movie and get some enjoyment out of it. Methinks I won’t be disappointed… fingers crossed 🙂
Couldn’t agree more with all you said. He’s really an actors model for what’s possible in a career. He and Johny Depp give me faith in the art of acting. Both have the looks and could do roles that exploited that. But they choose to stretch and take on films that explore characters void of cliche. And as you said, it’s refreshing to have a mega-star that’s not all over TMZ.
Inception got a rave review in the local paper here. Looks like I’m all over that one. A must-see on the big screen with those SFX …
Ah yes, Johnny Depp. He’s definitely on my chat-worthy post to-do list 🙂 Depp even took it even further as far as not wanting to be a paparazzi target, he lives in France! GB has a lot to learn from this two, but at least now he’s doing roles that don’t exactly capitalize on his looks (did you see the mullet look on the MGP post?) 🙂
Not gonna read that review yet, is that on StarTrib? Yeah, I’m definitely seeing it this weekend!
I’m going to avoid the review also, it was nice to see them raving about it tho. That way I can hopefully get the GF to come with.
I’ve been thinking about doing an under-rated post for Leo. He really is more than a pretty face and you’re right that he’s done well to overcome his teen idol image.
I think I first realised just how good he was when I watched What’s eating Gilbert Grape? He was only about 19 when he made that movie, which is a tough role for such a young actor. Romeo and Juliet really shows his talent too.
He’s a great actor but no, I don’t think he’s underrated at all. I think the kind of kudos and recognition is on par with his talent. There are plenty of others who are equally gifted who belong in that category. Leo does have acting range from such a young age, and that carry through until today.
I was probably one of the few girls who didn’t like Leo when he was in Titanic. But, I’m happy to say that this has all changed. When I saw him in Catch Me if You Can, (love this movie!) I noticed that he wasn’t a half bad actor. This was definitely confirmed in Blood Diamond and of course The Departed. The latter is probably my favourite performance of Leo’s and it really did bring him into serious actor territory.
Yeah you’re probably in the minority, Olive 🙂 Just kidding, I think he’s come a long way since then anyway, but he keeps getting better! Haven’t seen The Departed but heard great things about his performance in it.
Now…I am a fan of DiCaprio. Then…I wasn’t. I must admit I hated the guy – Romeo and Juliet, The Beach, Titanic – he was just too good-looking!
On a serious note I did think he was a very average actor in very average films. But then he did The Departed and everything changed. Possibly his best performance and ever since I think he’s really become a true actor and not just a ‘pretty boy’.
I’m sure you’re not the only one thinking that way, Dan. I think Leo himself was very aware of how his matinee-idol image was holding him back from being viewed as a serious actor. He’s proven his talent time and again by now, and so he deserved your view point ‘conversion.’ He’s still kinda boyish looking even with his beard/five o’clock shadow, but that’s not necessarily his fault though.
It is amazing to think of how many of the greatest directors Leonardo DiCaprio has had the opportunity to work with.
He has had a lot of solid, even Oscar worthy performances, but I am waiting for his career defining performance and I am starting to wonder if that will ever come. He has yet to have a role where he is completely remembered for and steals the show. So far, the movies have always been better than his performance.
The Aviator was great acting, but we need something a little more definitive Leo… will it ever come?
Yeah, hats off to him on that. He must have pretty good work ethics on top of his acting talent. I see your point about his movies being better than his performance, Inception included, but maybe that is ok as isn’t an actor’s job is to ‘serve’ the movie and not steal its spotlight?
Leo is a great actor, pure and simple. He’s the ultimate natural. I personally, think its redonkulous to say that his career really took off with The Departed as the true Dicaprio fans know that took place much earlier in films such as “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”and the “Basketball Diaries.” Not only were both these films vastly underrated, Dicaprio’s acting was poignant and spectacular all throughout.
Leonardo Diacaprio oozes talent out of his pores. He may not be the best actor ever quite yet, and may never be, however, his emotional intensity and fast paced facial expressions are second to none in the business.
Hi Bill, thanks for your comment. I haven’t seen The Departed so I can’t judge his performance on that, but yeah, I think he’s definitely got what it took to be a great actor even at a young age. That’s some high praise for any actor, Bill, can’t argue with you on that though. At the same time, I’m actually looking forward to seeing the ‘lighter’ side of Leo after such high-intensity roles he’s been taking on lately.