Top 10 Leonardo DiCaprio

Probably most famous for reaching mega-star status with his role as Jack Dawson in James Cameron’s Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio is no one trick pony. His performance in What's Eating Gilbert Grape earned him huge critical claim, and his ongoing relationship with director Martin Scorsese has cemented him as one of the best actors of his generation. It was a hard job, but we’ve whittled Leo’s roles down to his ten best…

His Top 10 Films

What's Eating Gilbert Grape 1993)

After his breakthrough role in This Boy’s Life starring alongside Robert De Niro, Di Caprio swiftly followed the success with What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Aged just 19, he was nominated for his first Oscar, playing disabled boy Arnie, the younger brother to Johnny Depp’s suffering Gilbert.

Rent

The Basketball Diaries (1995)

DiCaprio took the lead role in this self-penned teenage diary, based on musician Jim Carroll life struggles with heroin and his high school basketball career. The challenging content showed a darker side to DiCaprio character and increased his perception as an adult actor.

Rent Watch Trailer

Romeo And Juliet (1996)

DiCaprio was director Baz Luhrmann's first choice to play Romeo, the role that propelled him to international heartthrob. Natalie Portman was originally cast as Juliet, even flying out to Sydney to audition, but due to her young age and the seven year age gap, it was deemed inappropriate.

Rent Watch Trailer

Titanic (1997)

Originally 20th Century Fox had wanted Matthew McConaughey to play Jack Dawson, but James Cameron insisted on DiCaprio. Footage of the actual Titanic wreck was filmed using a special deep-sea camera system, that Cameron’s brother Mike helped design. Titanic was the first film to have a budget of $200m. When Kate Winslet found out she would have a nude scene with DiCaprio, she broke the ice by flashing him the first time they met.

Rent

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Production was pushed back due to DiCaprio’s commitments on Gangs of New York. The delay meant that James Gandolfini had to pull out and Tom Hanks was drafted in for his replacement as Carl Hanratty. Many directors, inlcuding David Fincher, Gore Verbinski and Cameron Crowe, were attached to the project before Steven Spielberg finally took it on, forcing him to drop other projects Big Fish and Memoirs of a Geisha.

Rent Watch Trailer

Gangs of New York (2002)

Initially conceived in 1978, director Martin Scorsese originally planned to cast Dan Aykroyd as Amsterdam Vallon and John Belushi as Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting. DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis respectfully took these roles 24 years later. During a fight scene, DiCaprio accidentally broke Day-Lewis' nose. To prepare for his role as Bill, Day-Lewis listened to Eminem’s music. This is the first collaboration between DiCaprio and director Martin Scorsese, a partnership that has produced four films to date.

Rent Watch Trailer

The Aviator (2004)

To prepare for his role as aviator Howard Hughes, DiCaprio spent time with an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder sufferer, so that he could get these aspects of Hughes right. DiCaprio was nominated for an Oscar for his performance, and the film bagged itself five gongs. It was the first Scorsese film to gross over $100m in the U.S.

Rent Watch Trailer

The Departed (2006)

The Departed was one of the big Oscar contenders of 2006, winning Best Director and Picture. Although the story is set in Boston, the majority was filmed in New York to keep costs down. DiCaprio once again shares the screen with his The Basketball Diaries co-star Mark Wahlberg, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Wahlberg, a Boston native, said he based his performance as Staff Sgt. Dignam on the police officers who'd arrested him during his turbulent younger years.

Rent Watch Trailer

Shutter Island (2010)

Marking his fourth appearance in a Scorsese movie, Shutter Island sees DiCaprio starring as U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels in the psychological thriller based on Dennis Lehane’s 2003 novel. The film took $40.2 million on opening weekend and grossed over $293 million worldwide, making it the most financially successful film of Scorsese’s career. Shutter Island contains a number of references to B-movie film noir and horror films, and is often seen as being heavily indebted to Alfred Hitchcock.

Rent Watch Trailer

Inception (2010)

First to be cast, DiCaprio was a long term favourite of director Nolan even though he was yet to feature in any of his films. Once Leo was on board the pair spent months discussing the script, attempting to make sure the drama of dream spy Cobb’s journey would not become lost amidst an array of special effects. Ironically perhaps, the movie received a string of academy award nominations, but none were for any of the film’s star studded cast

Rent Watch Trailer

Tegan Kniveton