Leonardo DiCaprio’s Oscar hopes are one step closer to becoming a reality after the actor won the Best Actor Golden Globe (in the Drama category) for his performance in The Revenant. However, DiCaprio has been in this position before and he won’t be clearing a special place on his shelf for the Oscar just yet, because he is used to being burned by the Academy after Golden Globe success.
Yet, things are a little different this time aren't they? While filming The Revenant, Leonardo DiCaprio went through a cavalcade of production problems, and pushed himself to extremes that the Academy Awards loves to reward. Plus, and this is also rather important too, Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance in The Revenant is absolutely sensational. Under the guidance of the recent Oscar winner Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, DiCaprio gives a relentless and beguilingly driven performance, most of which he emanates through a steely, silence gaze.
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Because of his triumphant performance in The Revenant, it was widely assumed that Leonardo DiCaprio would finally saunter his way to the Oscar that so many around the world feel is so rightfully his. That’s why tonight was so important. Because the Golden Globes are, arguably, the defining stop on the road to the Oscars. Especially for actors.
There’s a weird clamor for Leonardo DiCaprio to win an Academy Award. Having been nominated three times for Best Actor for his performances in The Aviator, Blood Diamond, and The Wolf Of Wall Street, and once in the Best Supporting Actor category for his turn in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Leonardo DiCaprio still has yet to win. But does winning the Golden Globe Best Actor award mean that Leonardo DiCaprio’s chances of claiming the coveted Oscar Best Actor gong have substantially increased? To put it bluntly: yes. Over the last 10 years, the Golden Globes have only failed to predict the Best Actor winner on two occasions.
Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote), Forest Whitaker (The Last King Of Scotland), Daniel Day Lewis (There Will Be Blood), Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Colin Firth (The King’s Speech), Daniel Day Lewis, again (Lincoln), Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club), and Eddie Redmayne (The Theory Of Everything) each first took home the Golden Globe Best Actor before then picking up the Oscar Best Actor just a few weeks later. Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) and George Clooney (The Descendants) were the unlucky souls whose Oscars success was teased but ultimately failed to come after Golden Globe wins.
Before tonight, Leonardo DiCaprio left the Globes with the Best Drama Actor and Best Comedy/Musical Actor gongs in 2005 and 2014, respectively, for his work on The Aviator and The Wolf Of Wall Street. But tonight means it is almost certainly going to be third time lucky. Because by doing so again for The Revenant, it’s now widely assumed that the Academy should start etching his name into the Best Actor Oscar already. Right?
