Here's Why Leonardo DiCaprio Wasn't At The Oscars
Like Will Smith - who finally graduated from the class of elite Hollywood actors who have never won an Oscar this year, Leonardo DiCaprio also took a very long time before he was recognized for his work with an Academy Award.
Despite numerous top performances in films like Titanic, Inception, DjangoUnchained and The Wolf of Wall Street, DiCaprio's famous Oscar drought went on for decades. It wasn't until he starred in Alejandro Iñárritu's The Revenant in 2015 that he finally managed to bag the gong for Best Actor at the 2016 awards.
Since then, the actor has been nominated one more time, in the same category for his star turn in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. This was back in 2020, when the award ultimately went to Joaquin Phoenix following his riveting performance in Joker.
DiCaprio's most recent work was in Netflix's apocalyptic drama picture Don't Look Up, where he played an astronomy professor who teams up with a doctorate student to try and warn the world of an impending asteroid hit on earth.
The movie was nominated in four categories at the 2022 Oscars. Nonetheless, DiCaprio was absent at the ceremony, choosing instead to go out with his girlfriend, Camila Morrone.
Why Was Leonardo DiCaprio Absent From The Oscars This Year?
In total, Leonardo DiCaprio has six personal Oscar nominations in his career. He was first shortlisted for the honor of Best Supporting Actor in 1994, after he had played the character Arnie Grape in What's Eating Gilbert Grape.
The California-born star would later also be nominated for his work in The Aviator, Blood Diamond, and The Wolf of Wall Street. Every single one of those times, he came up empty, losing out to the likes of Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive), Jamie Foxx (Ray) and Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland).
Having not even been personally nominated this year, DiCaprio decided to sit out the awards event, and instead was seen stepping out with his flame of about five years now, model and fellow actor, Camila Morrone.
The two lovebirds have been in a relationship since 2017, although they reportedly met years before then, with their families said to enjoy a close friendship. On Oscar night, they were photographed dining out at a luxury restaurant in New York.
What Was 'Don't Look Up' Nominated For At The Oscars?
Despite having one of the most star-studded cast line-ups, there was no actor from Don't Look Up who received an individual nomination at the 94th Annual Academy Awards.
DiCaprio's character was called Dr. Randall Mindy, and he worked side-by-side with MSU doctoral candidate in astronomy, Kate Dibiasky. This part was played by The Hunger Games and Red Sparrow star Jennifer Lawrence.
Jonah Hill, Meryl Streep, Tyler Perry, Ron Perlman, Timothée Chalamet and Cate Blanchett are all among the very big names who featured in various roles in the movie. Despite all of them being snubbed for individual honors, however, Don't Look Up was still well represented at the Oscars.
Director Adam McKay co-wrote the script for the film with David Sirota, and they were up for Best Original Screenplay. This gong went to Sir Kenneth Branagh, for his film, Belfast.
Don't Look Up was also nominated for Best Picture (won by CODA), Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer for Dune), and Best Film Editing (Joe Walker for Dune).
Will Leonardo DiCaprio Be Back At The Oscars Next Year?
Having watched all the trophies that Don't Look Up could have won go to other candidates, Leonardo DiCaprio must have felt vindicated for his choice of sitting out the ceremony.
The evening he spent out with Camila Morrone is yet another indication of their ever-intensifying romance, with people even speculating now that the model of Argentine descent might be the woman who finally gets him to walk down the aisle.
The 2023 Academy Awards are still a long way away, and it is impossible to tell at this point whether DiCaprio - or anyone else for that matter - will be present at the event.
Nonetheless, there is a very high likelihood that the Shutter Island star will be back next year, at least judging by his upcoming work. DiCaprio will be the main star of the upcoming Western crime drama Killers of the Flower Moon.
Directed by the legendary Martin Scorsese, the film will also feature Robert DeNiro and Jesse Plemons. It is due for release in November 2022, and could be in line for a number of nominations at the 2023 Oscars.
If those end up including one for Leonardo DiCaprio, the 47-year-old will almost certainly be back for the ceremony next year.
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