14 DAY TRIAL // The Oscars 2014 were this Sunday in LA and, believe it or not, Leonardo DiCaprio still doesn’t have one for Best Actor. This was his fourth nomination and his fourth snub, and fans are very unhappy about it. In fact, right now, the Internet is being flooded with DiCaprio memes and the Oscar he never gets.
Poor Leo and #GiveLeoAnOscar are still trending online but, before you too jump on the bandwagon, let’s chill for a second and think about it: should he really be that bothered that the Academy consistently refuses to acknowledge his talent and hard work?
It’s true, DiCaprio has delivered very solid performances in film ever since he started in the industry, beginning with his first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” through to “Aviator,” “Blood Diamond,” “Inception,” “Shutter Island” and “The Wolf of Wall Street,” for which he got his latest nomination – or should we say “snub.”
He is not only one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood (which could mean nothing at the end of the day in terms of his worth as a thespian), but also one of the most respected, talented and, last but not least beloved.
Consequently, he is in a position to choose his next projects, which is something that not all actors can boast of: he gets to negotiate his pay and ask for money in advance and a cut of the end box office gross. He gets to pick the directors he works with, and he can afford to wait a couple of years and just relax, waiting for the right movie to come along.
And this brings us to the number one reason he shouldn’t care: DiCaprio has already proved himself, to both the critics and the fans, but more importantly to the latter. In the process, he’s also become a very wealthy man, amassing a fortune estimated at $200 million (€145.3 million) and he gets to live life on a scale so large many of us can only dream of.
Unlike most actors, Leonardo DiCaprio gets to call all the shots regarding his career. He can skip press events and refuse to do interviews because he knows that his name has enough weight to carry a movie. He can retire for months and not be held accountable, or forced to make appearances because he “has to.” DiCaprio can afford to fly under the radar, because no one would forget his name if they didn’t read it in the tabloids.
Again unlike most actors, DiCaprio can afford to not be a celebrity. In an industry that relies so much on image and on relevance through the power of the media (that is to say, through constant media coverage), he simply doesn’t give a hoot if months go by and no one mentions his name in the press.
In fact, he actually makes it a point of distancing himself from everything we understand by the term “celebrity” because, he once explained, if we considered him one then we would have more trouble believing the character he was striving to bring to life on screen.
On a less serious note, DiCaprio dates only models. Say what you will about the man as an actor, but the joke about how he picks his girlfriends perusing the latest Victoria’s Secret catalog seems to apply. And good for him, if that’s what makes him happy.
He is also considered one of the most handsome men in Hollywood and a bachelor to boot. I might never get to date him but a girl can dream, can’t she? Leo is handsome, he’s young and he has the dreamiest blue eyes.
More importantly, Leo has the power to break the Internet even at those times when he might not mean to. I don’t know of many actors who can say they have as loyal a fanbase as he does, or fans who feel for him the way his do. Their reactions to the Oscars this Sunday, when he lost Best Actor to Matthew McConaughey, speak volumes: with the rage, the outrage and the profanities, there’s also a lot of love for him.
Last but not least, DiCaprio shouldn’t be upset that he lost because there is always next year. If he’s done such an amazing job so far, he will undoubtedly continue to do so for years to come and, whether they like it or not, the Academy will just have to acknowledge his talent eventually.
We the fans have faith in you Leo!
