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Originally Posted by dankrsta
Well, I don't like him and it has nothing to do with Titanic and Leo-mania. In fact, I saw What's Eating Gilbert Grape before Titanic and many of his 90s movies I saw around the time of Titanic coming out, so I already knew that he wasn't just some pretty poster boy and I knew what he's capable of (I actually thought he was retarded in Gilbert Grape and that remains one of his most convincing performances). I started disliking him when he hooked up with Scorsese and started playing all these angsty, tough guy roles that he's not suited for, or roles that call for some heavy emotional breakdowns that allow him to overact terribly. I can't think of a more frequently miscast actor in these high profile films today. That's why he often appears like trying too hard, like forcing the characters' acts and emotions down our throats and banging our heads with a hammer. He's obviously very capable technically, but he's rarely natural and effortless. And it bothers me personally, because he's usually in films I would like to see. But he can be excellent when he plays to his strengths like in Catch Me if You Can which is his most natural performance in the 00s. I have yet to see Shutter Island and Inception, and I bet he's doing his usual thing with Scorsese, but I hope Nolan managed to tone down his acting a bit.
And I'm not alone in this view of DiCaprio. That's why I bolded your sentence. There are many people that liked him better when he was younger, even in Titanic, and don't buy him now as an intense, tough actor. He's no De Niro, but it feels like he's trying to be. He's one of those actors who will always polarize the audience, I feel.
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I don't know how he's wrongly cast for the roles, have you not seen The Departed? He pulled off the tough guy thing really well. He exudes angst in the roles he plays, which is a good thing for them type of roles. Sometimes people try to do that, and they just can't pull it off. You really believe the character Leo is trying to play, I mean he's quite clearly a very good actor. Because he can do it all, whether it's a retarded kid, or someone on the run (Catch Me If You Can), or a million air (Aviator), a lover (The Titanic).
He can do it all, if you dislike him because you see his partnership with Scorsese as him trying to copy Deniro then I don't get that. I love Deniro because he's brilliant what he does. But I actually think Leo is the better actor, he reaches that emotional level constantly. I mean in the Aviator, that's got to be one of his most convincing performances. Just because he's drawn to characters that have emotionally difficulties is NOT a bad thing. Every character he plays has a different story to them, and he has to really get underneath the character and find some pain there. I don't think it's a case of 'overreacting terribly', he reacts accordingly. He's also an extremely brave actor, he tries things outside his comfort zone. He attempts accents suited to the role. Even if you don't think they're good, he tries to test himself as an actor far more than Deniro ever did.
I think Leo has proven he can pull off almost any role. The success of The Departed really shows he's suited to the tough guy role. But how many tough guy roles has he played? The Departed, Gangs of New York, Blood Diamond. Not that many... name someone better suited to the tough guy role? Edward Norton? Perhaps, but I think Leonardo is better.