An Ode to Leo: Looking Back on Mr. DiCaprio's Best Roles Yet

Film

Published: May 7, 2013

An Ode to Leo: Looking Back on Mr. DiCaprio’s Best Roles Yet

I remember sitting in the theater as the credits rolled on opening night of Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island. As Max Richter’s "On the Nature of Daylight" played softly, my best friend and I sat in silence, quietly weeping to ourselves. And although the film was a wonderfully-shot journey of psychological thrill, it was Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance that moved us to tears. Did we have our own flair for the dramatic? Yes. But really, he was just so good we couldn’t help but succumb to our emphatic emotions.

But it’s always that way—no matter the film, in the twenty years that he’s been gracing our screens, Leo has never given a bad performance. Whether he’s playing a mentally-handicapped teenager coping with the strains of family, an infamous imposter conning his way around the world, a family man wrestling with the trials of love, or a psychopathic slave-owner, he always delivers a performance that’s brimming with conviction, intensity, charm, and agility—with that signature essence of Leo that lingers even when he disappears into his characters.

And this week, we’ll see him take on one of his most anticipated roles yet as the iconic role of Jay Gatsby in Baz Luhrmann’s lavish reimagining of F. Scott Fitzgerlad’s The Great Gatsby. So in honor of, what I am sure is to be another brilliant performance, here’s a look at some of Leo’s best roles throughout the years. And for good measure, a few old interviews with the young star before he went on to be Hollywood’s most beloved leading man. Enjoy.