Note: This feature was originally published in December 2015.
Top Performances is a recurring feature in which we definitively handpick the very best performances from an iconic actor or actress.
Leonardo DiCaprio has arguably never delivered a bad performance. He’s been in some bad movies — and even then, that’s debatable — but he’s never the bad seed. Reason being, it’s not really in his blood.
Looking back, the only shoddy credit to his name is his debut on Romper Room at the age of five, which saw him removed from the children’s television series for being too disruptive. Since then, he’s climbed higher and higher.
As his former Growing Pains co-star Alan Thicke once told People: “We had the sense then that nothing was ever going to stop him. He just lit up the place.” And we all know Alan Thicke tells nothing but the truth.
In this particular case, Mr. Seaver was right on the money. At only 41 years old, DiCaprio is a leading member of Hollywood’s $20 million club, commanding a top salary alongside the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, and Sandra Bullock.
It’s deserved. In only a few decades, he’s already been won 34 awards from 137 nominations, which include two Golden Globe wins and five snubs by the Academy Awards. Don’t send him your tears, though, he could care less…
“I don’t think I ever expected anything like an Oscar ever, to tell you the truth. That is not my motivation when I do these roles. I really am motivated by being able to work with great people and create a body of work that I can look back and be proud of.”
He’s done just that. Outside of being Martin Scorsese’s go-to, Lenny’s worked with Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Danny Boyle, Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, Ridley Scott, Clint Eastwood, Sam Mendes, Baz Luhrmann, Sam Raimi, and you get it.
Now, he’s back alongside Oscar-winning filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu for his Birdman followup, The Revenant. It’s a violently aggressive performance that saw him risking life and limb across the icy settings of Canada and Argentina.
Spoiler: It’s his best work to date. Having said that, here are his nine other essential roles.
–Michael Roffman
Editor-in-Chief
