Look, it’s well noted that Leonardo DiCaprio is dying to get an Oscar. He’s been snubbed four times by the Academy, filling the void with a lifestyle of wild parties and beautiful women. But clearly it’s not enough, because the actor has gone out on the warpath, calling The Revenant the “most difficult film he’s ever done.” And you know he’s not lying when people are spreading rumors that he gets raped by a bear.
But just because an actor says their performance was the most difficult of their career, doesn’t mean the Oscar is going to magically show up on their mantle after the awards are finished. The Academy is a fickle beast and DiCaprio is their newest whipping boy. They broke down and gave Scorsese his Oscar, Peter O’Toole finally got an honorary Oscar after spending years drinking his way to eight nominations, and Alfred Hitchcock never even got that (he did win the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award). Let’s look at where we’ve been with Leo before:
- His first nomination came with What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? and it would’ve likely been a sure victory today, but not so much then.
- Then we wait a few years, and a few snubs, before he’s nominated again for The Aviator. This was a double snub for both DiCaprio and Scorsese, losing out to Million Dollar Baby and Jamie Foxx’s turn as Ray Charles.
- Then comes Blood Diamond, a fine film, a fine performance, but just not enough. Luckily he got away with a group win with The Departed.
- And the latest came for The Wolf Of Wall Street, the film that many thought would finally be the one. Then Matthew McConaughey happened.
There are no guarantees for DiCaprio, meaning people can continue to rub salt into the wound for a bit longer. He’s likely to be nominated again for The Revenant, playing the game and putting his best effort out there. But if you look at O’Toole, even the great actors never win the big award. And it’s partially why awards don’t truly matter in the end. Being nominated does, sure, but the win is such a stroke of luck.
At the end of it all, four nominations by 41 is not bad — five if we count his producers’ role for The Wolf Of Wall Street — and he’s got many other great films under his belt. If he’s nominated again without a win, it is certainly nothing to be ashamed about.
