Leonardo DiCaprio finally won his first Oscar last night for Best Actor in “The Revenant.” After five Oscar nominations over his 27-year acting career, this win was long overdue.
DiCaprio lost his last Oscar nomination, for Best Actor in “Wolf of Wall Street” (2013), to Mathew McConaughey. Although McConaughey is also a great actor, I was not impressed with DiCaprio’s loss. Some of the scenes in “Wolf of Wall Street” were particularly powerful, specifically the one where he is high out of his mind after the car wreck.
DiCaprio has captivated us in many of his films. Many of us first fell in love with DiCaprio in “Titanic” (1997). What’s not to love? His boyish charm and passion for Rose and life in general are automatically attractive. In thriller movies such as “Inception” (2010) and “Shutter Island” (2010), DiCaprio takes us through whirlwind adventures. In the latter DiCaprio plays a detective, Teddy Daniels, who investigates an asylum on the infamous Shutter Island. At the end of the film, the audience is still left wondering whether he was one of the patients on the island or actually the detective. In “Inception,” DiCaprio’s character teaches us about dreams within a dream, within more dreams.
“The Great Gatsby” (2013) was another phenomenal performance by DiCaprio. How can we forget Jay Gatsby’s endless love- and obsession- with Daisy.
Whether playing an insane detective, love-stricken man, or drug addict and money hungry businessman, DiCaprio never fails to captivate audiences with his role — he takes us into the lives of these people. His wit, charisma and overall persona is seen in every one of his roles. I am surprised that it has taken the Academy this long to realize what fans have seen in him for years. DiCaprio is a household name, one that many associate with various hit films. He has the ability to do what all actors in their career aim to do, to truly provide an escape for the public through films.
DiCaprio’s win last night is well deserved. I rest assured that he will continue to impress us with his talent. Fingers crossed that he will be up for many more Oscar nominations (and wins) in the future.
In the meantime, satirists need to find a new target for their memes.
