The 2014 Oscars proved, once again, to be an utter disappointment to Leonardo DiCaprio fans everywhere. It was his fourth time returning home empty-handed, which leads me to wonder: Who is—or rather, is not—voting for this incredibly gifted and passionate actor?
DiCaprio has no doubt shown his ability as an artist through a variety of unforgettable roles in films such as: What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Titanic, Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator, The Departed, Blood Diamond, Shutter Island, The Great Gatsby, and The Wolf of Wall Street. He has demonstrated his impeccable talent time and time again, yet fails to be recognized for his outstanding accomplishments. As an actor, DiCaprio is certainly one of the most versatile and prestigious. And don’t even get me started on his natural charm and ravishing good looks because that’s not what this awards ceremony is about (though it does win you more votes…)
So what will it take for this charismatic, renowned actor to actually win a well-deserved golden statuette? Are people not voting for DiCaprio simply because they expect everyone else to do it? Has the whole joke about his not being able to win an Oscar year after year escalated so much that people don’t even bother to vote for him anymore just so they can watch him lose to far less talented and celebrated actors—and then make silly memes about it afterward?
Then again, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe someone as talented as Leonardo DiCaprio doesn’t need something as superficial as a trophy in order to be recognized for his sheer brilliance. He knows his worth and value as an artist, and (hopefully) so do the rest of us. He doesn’t need to be in the spotlight 24/7 in order for the public to respect and absolutely adore him, and that may, in fact, be the very thing that makes him so likeable: his humility and graciousness, even in the face of defeat. There is no doubt that DiCaprio has a truly remarkable range in terms of his acting skill, and he has nothing to prove.