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DiCaprio doesn’t fret being snubbedJessica Herndon

Leonardo DiCaprio is poking his head out of a poolside room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

It’s afternoon, and a swarm of media outlets is lined up outside, chatting with Oscar contenders after the Academy Awards’ annual luncheon for nominees.

Nominated for lead actor for his role as an obsessed stockbroker in “The Wolf of Wall Street,” DiCaprio stands to gain plenty of attention if he’s viewed, but he goes unseen.

Still, he can’t conceal his curiosity. “What’s going on out there?” he asks with childlike intrigue, lowering his brow. “Why are there only two people on pool floats?” Turns out, they’re models hired to liven up the background of an entertainment show’s feed.

“That’s corny,” DiCaprio said with a laugh. But surely the 39-year-old actor understands the allure of overdoing it.

Decadence is what fueled “Wolf,” a film that’s gained him two Oscar nominations for acting and producing. DiCaprio has been nominated for three other Academy Awards, starting with a supporting actor bid for playing a teen with autism in the 1993 drama, “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.” He’s been overlooked each time.

Is he frustrated he hasn’t won?

“Here, I’ll show you the card they gave me today” (at the luncheon), he said, rummaging through his pockets after setting aside the electronic cigarette he said he puffs to “relieve the stress of life.” He retrieved a small white card listing his film stats. Leaning in, he pointed to the portion reading: five nominations, zero wins. With a chuckle he looked up and said, “Zip!”

With the card back in his pocket, DiCaprio added: “It’s quite interesting. People think I feel I’m overdue for something ...” He stared at the ground for a moment, collecting his thoughts. “Anyone wants to be accepted by their peers, but the truth is every year is unique and everyone is just going to vote for who they think is worthy.”

Nominated for lead actor Oscars for “The Aviator” and “Blood Diamond,” DiCaprio has lost to Jamie Foxx and Forest Whitaker (he lost the best supporting actor statuette to Tommy Lee Jones). This year, he’s up against Christian Bale, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Bruce Dern and Matthew McConaughey, who is considered DiCaprio’s biggest threat for his portrayal of a rodeo-loving Texan in “Dallas Buyers Club.”

“We haven’t seen Leo and McConaughey paired off in any award show,” said Tom O’Neil, editor of the awards prediction site goldderby.com. “The assumption is Leo can’t do it.”

But this wouldn’t be because he lacks skill. DiCaprio, whose first big film role was opposite Robert De Niro in 1993’s “This Boy’s Life,” has starred in a number of films that gained Oscar attention, including two best picture winners: “Titanic” and “The Departed.” “Gangs of New York,” “Catch Me if You Can,” “Revolutionary Road,” “Inception,” “Django Unchained” and last year’s “The Great Gatsby” have also earned Academy attention.

“It’s as if the old men in the Academy look at someone like Leo and say, ‘You have the money, the fame, the babes, but here’s one thing you can’t have’,” added O’Neil. “We’ve seen a history of it. Paul Newman didn’t win until he was past the age of 60.”

Many major Hollywood talents have endured Oscar snubs. Neither Alfred Hitchcock nor Stanley Kubrick ever received directing trophies.

DiCaprio remains level-headed about the Oscars and film making.

“You make these movies, you work as hard as you possibly can ... and you hope for the best,” he said.




 

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