Actor Spotlight - Leonardo DiCaprio

This is an introspective look at my favorite A-list star who is still under-appreciated in his extensive and incredibly impressive body of work. Three time Oscar nominee (What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Aviator, Blood Diamond), Six time Golden Globe nominee and one time winner (Aviator, 2004) 36 year old Leo DiCaprio.

DiCaprio is certainly not the greatest actor of his time, but he may be the most savvy and selective actor out there now. He has delivered incredible performances, and for the most part has been recognized amply. He will certainly win an Oscar or two in his career, perhaps this year for his portrayal of J. Edgar Hoover. The point of this editorial is to put a spotlight on his film choices, which seem to be driven by the opportunity to work with specific directors rather than the project per se.

Let me explain further. I follow many actors' filmography and anxiously anticipate many projects that are coming down the pipeline. What I began thinking about when I was reviewing DiCaprio's films is just how wide a range of roles he has played in his 20 or so years of acting. Further analysis revealed an interesting trend, which I will now share.

Starting with his Oscar nominated role in 1993's What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Leo was 19 years old, and worked on a small budget film by a budding foreign Director, Lasse Hallstrom. He would later go on to make a handful of critically acclaimed films (and some panned), but is certainly an interesting choice for a young actor. I will concede that a young actor will take just about any leading or supporting role that is offered, so that may be some justification.

From there, he worked with Sam Raimi (Spider Man trilogy) and an all-star cast in the Quick and the Dead. Not a great film, but a fun Western and a chance to work with a truly unique director.

His next big film was 1996's Romeo & Juliet, directed by the quirky and eccentric Baz Luhrmann. This was DiCaprio's gateway to stardom, catapulting him to teen heartthrob status.

After that, he did a little thing called Titanic directed by James Cameron, who is truly a visionary and a perpetual pioneer in film. This was DiCaprio's A-list ticket, and from this point on he was able to pick and choose projects simply due to his profitability.

He was then in a critically panned film called the Man in the Iron Mask, which for as bad as it was, was directed by Randall Wallace, who is more of a writer than a director, but was the mind behind Braveheart. This might have been a turning point for DiCaprio in that he began to be a bit more cautious about his role selection.

After that, he worked with Woody Allen, no doubt for the experience more than the accolades or paycheck in a film called Celebrity. His next starring role however, was in Danny Boyle's the Beach. Not the greatest film, but an interesting project with a blooming director.

At the age of 27, he began his relationship with Martin Scorcese, which would span 4 films and over a decade, and earn Martin his sole Oscar of his illustrious career (so far). There is a fifth collaboration in the works; a biopic about Frank Sinatra.

2002 was the year that DiCaprio worked with Steven Spielberg on Catch Me if you Can. The beginning of Leo's fascination with portraying historical figures (Howard Hughes, J. Edgar Hoover, Frank Sinatra).

2006 was arguably DiCaprio's most successful single year, with roles in the Departed, and Edward Zwick's Blood Diamond, which gave Leo his third Academy Award nomination. At this point, he has become bigger than just about anyone in Hollywood, able to hand select projects to star and produce. His name alone is marketable enough to draw a box office success.

Over the following three years, he would work with Ridley Scott, Sam Mendes, and Christopher Nolan. All three films (and one Scorcese thrown in the mix) were both critical and box office successes.

His current projects team him with Clint Eastwood, Baz Luhrmann (2nd collaboration), and Quentin Tarantino. His performance in Eastwood's J. Edgar Hoover will certainly earn Leo his fourth nomination, and if competition isn't too stiff, perhaps his first win.

Future projects team him with Marc Forster, Oliver Stone, Ridley Scott again, and possibly Michael Mann. These are in pre-pre-production stages, but don't be surprised to see them come to fruition if Leo wants them to. Interestingly, he was signed on to work with Mel Gibson on a Nordic-themed film, but Leo pulled out because of Gibson's drunken career-killing breakdown.

Snubs. Because the Academy doesn't allow an actor to receive 2 nominations in the same year in the Best Actor category, Leo was denied a nomination for the Departed, which in my opinion was his best performance so far. He was also over-shadowed by Daniel Day-Lewis in Gangs of New York, and carried Revolutionary Road even though Kate Winslet and Michael Shannon received most of the acclaim.

You would be hard-pressed to find another actor who has worked with a laundry list of Oscar-winning directors. 22 wins, another 70 nominations among them. It's a staggering and mind-blowing amount of cinematic achievement.

The sheer variety of his selections of projects and directors leaves any fan of cinema anxiously awaiting his next work. Personally, I think he is genius and look forward to watching him for the next 50 years.