Leonardo DiCaprio’s resilience in Hollywood is defined not by his scandalous relationships and his Martin Scorsese collaborations but by the titanic (pun intended) and magnetic power packed within each of his roles in every project he cherry-picks to star in. It is no wonder that the A-lister greats of his age always complain about receiving a script only after DiCaprio turns them down or that each draft gets passed directly to DiCaprio first before reaching anybody else.
Such a talent is generational and his performances embody that kinetic energy that comes only from a nameless state of being that is purely instinctual, half method, and half artistic.
Leonardo DiCaprio Has No Regrets, Including His Oscar Loss
The star who broke a million hearts and redefined the concept of love itself, Leonardo DiCaprio was a rather wild boy who lived as if he had nothing holding him back. Together with Tobey Maguire and his P-ssy Posse, DiCaprio ruled the underbelly of Hollywood glitterati and tasted all that it had to offer, not just fame and its unlimited reach, but power and all that money could buy. Such a star in the making would not be disappointed if he lost first prize in something.
The Gangs of New York actor then declared after not securing his first Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the 1993 film, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? that it was all for the best. The statement was not as much sour grapes as it was a rational approach toward what an Academy Award means for a teenage boy who is just starting out in Hollywood as a credible actor with a potentially bright future. As such, DiCaprio was far from regretful about the Oscar snub for his ground-breaking, seminal, and heart-wrenching performance as Arnie Grape, a mentally challenged young boy with a difficult home life.
Leonardo DiCaprio Commented on Losing at the 1994 Oscars
Not too long after his 1993 role, Leonardo DiCaprio would break out with his ubiquitously recognizable role as Jack Dawson in James Cameron’s tragic romance drama, Titanic in 1997. The role not only established him as the breaker of a million hearts but launched him further into stratospheric fame much more quickly than he had anticipated. The pre-Titanic era was scarier – a child actor on the cusp of fame… an Oscar-nominated teenager who had no idea the kind of stardom he was destined for.
It was from this standpoint that 22 years after his first Oscar nod, Leonardo DiCaprio recalled and addressed the night of the 1994 Academy Awards – “No! I had absolutely nothing prepared. I didn’t think there was a shot in hell I’d get it. It would have been an absolute catastrophe if I had.” When asked if an Oscar win actually elevates his presence and contribution to the industry, he replied:
“Honestly? It’s never ever what I’m thinking about when I’m making movies. There’s nothing I’ve done for the specific reason of getting an award. Every single time you just go in there trying to bat a thousand, trying to give it your all.”
In 2016, at the 88th Academy Awards, Leonardo DiCaprio finally took home his first Oscar for Best Actor for his role in the fearless project The Revenant. The standing ovation that rocked through the auditorium on said night echoed for an eternity.
Source: Time Out
