It has been said more than once--more than a hundred times, in fact--that in 1996 DiCaprio nearly lost his life in a skydiving incident. Without his instructor there to pull the emergency cord and send him safely to earth, our words devoted to Leo would have mourned the passing of a good son (he's close to his mother) and an actor whose potential would never be fully realized. (DiCaprio had already received an Oscar nomination for 1993's What's Eating Gilbert Grape and shook Shakespeare awake in the 1996 hard-rock rendition of Romeo & Juliet.) But as it happens, you can almost imagine Leo, alive and well and channel-surfing in front of one of his alleged dozen TV sets, catching a glimpse of himself on Hard Copy, and wondering "Was I spared for this?" We find ourselves worried about his future, questioning whether he can outlive his superstardom, if he can grow out of his club phase and emerge as an artist when fame--history has made this clear--tends to stunt the growth of all but its wisest and most self-assured recipients.
After months of post-Titanic speculation, DiCaprio has finally cast his eye toward two projects, neither of which suggests he's playing it safe or being held captive by his teen devotees. He's expressed interest in portraying dark-souled jazz musician Chet Baker in an in-development biopic for Miramax. And in January, he'll begin shooting The Beach under the direction of Trainspotting's Danny Boyle. Based on a 1997 Alex Garland novel about an island utopia, DiCaprio will play the kind of role he specializes in, the young dreamer--in this case, a nomadic dreamer looking for paradise.
Will he find it? No comment, not yet. --Jess Cagle
You Might Also Like
- Music Review VH1 Divas Live | David Browne
- Movie Review Celebrity (1998) | Lisa Schwarzbaum
- Movie Review Celebrity (1998)
- Movie News ''Celebrity'' Bash (1998) | Dave Karger
- Cover Story Celebrity
- Movie News New York Stories (1998) | Josh Wolk
