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Originally Posted by dankrsta
Nothing wrong with that (the bold part), but he's not succeeded in shaking that off completely, because even though he's older now, looks different and is bulked up, he still has that boyish quality in him, that playful charm that he's not using in his acting because he doesn't play to his strengths. That's why he doesn't feel right as a tough guy, or alfa-male. The transformation didn't come from within. And he's not that kind of actor anyway, the transformative, chameleon type. He's a traditional leading man, a movie star type, so he should be playing up his own persona and charisma and not doing the impersonations of tough guys, which he's not.
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Well, no. He is definitely not a tough guy, he's the most gentle person you would probably come across. But that's just a testament to him as an actor, he's on one end of the spectrum and a tough guy is on the other. People like Deniro can play tough guys so easily, because he is one. He doesn't have a boyish charm, I would've loved to see him even attempt a Frank JR role or Jack role. Deniro would've failed so badly at that. Dicaprio pulls off both boyish and tough better than anyone could. Imagine Russell Crowe trying to be a tough guy in one film and then in another him displaying his boyish charm? It just wouldn't work.
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Originally Posted by dankrsta
It doesn't really matter how many different characters he plays, as long as he's convincing in them, typecast or not. I would've liked DiCaprio better if he was typecast as that character in Catch Me if You Can, because at least he would be convincing.
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Typecast actors, even though they're good at what they do. They aren't daring, I think the mark of a really great actor is someone like Dicaprio. Always trying to better himself. Even Jack Nicholson, as great as he was. He was used to playing nutters, by the time his Batman role came round. It was second nature for him. Dicaprio tries to push himself, he doesn't have that comfort zone the Deniros and Nicholsons have.
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Originally Posted by dankrsta
Well, he doesn't have authenticity and that to me is a much more important thing to have than technique, in any art.
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I really don't know how he isn't authentic, I believe him when he acts.
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Originally Posted by dankrsta
Great actors work at it before the filming. They build a whole character from within with all the details, nuances, emotional levels and then they let it go. When the filming of the scenes starts they are natural, like they're not acting and even if the scenes call for the over the top behavior, they don't feel forced. This is something DiCaprio can't do, yet. He's too self aware.
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No, you can't get a full appreciation for that character until you're in front of that camera trying to be them. You can do all your research and build up an idea in your mind, but that's only half the battle. The other half is working your arse off on set for as many takes as it takes to hit the right notes.
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Originally Posted by dankrsta
You're right in a way, they're both above DiCaprio's level. They don't always benefit from working with the best scripts and top notch Hollywood directors, but they're almost always convincing in what they play. They can play understated and over the top, they can be leading men and character actors, they have nuance and subtlety (something DiCaprio lacks), they can transform themselves on the outside, but more importantly from within. For example, Bale succeeded in shaking off his 90's image completely. He used to play mellow, shy, very English characters and he was very good, very convincing that you'd think, yes that's his own persona. And he wiped it all out with just one role - Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. Now people think he's truly psychotic. You just have to compare his character in Velvet Goldmine to Bateman and wonder if that's the same actor, he feels like two totally different persons. And he did it without make up, he just bulked up for American Psycho.
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Dicaprio is far better than Christian Bale. To me American Psycho is his only stand out performance. He played shy and English before that? Well, he's British and acting shy isn't the hardest thing to do. But fair enough, he managed to shake that image of quiet and turn totally psychotic. But Dicaprio did exactly the same, except he had to shake away more than a quiet boy image, he had to shake away Leo-mania. Joaquin Phoenix is miles away from Leonardo Dicaprio. And I'm judging on their performances alone, Dicaprio has never really had a bad performance. I don't see how he doesn't have subtlety either, he always has that slick subtle charm whenever I've seen him. I think he's the mark of a really great actor, especially what I said earlier about him NOT being a tough guy at all. He's so far from it, the fact he manages to even reach it in any way (even if not in a great way for you) is brilliant. I have to give it up to Bale for his role in American Psycho but really, apart from that I just don't rate him. Dicaprio's body of work is getting more and more impressive as is his performances.