| Don't Call Him Jimmy Dean! |
Let's clear the air of a basic misunderstanding about Leonardo DiCaprio (called Leo especially when hordes of vaguely hysterical girls scream his name). Leonardo DiCaprio is not, I repeat, is not James Dean. The fact Leo's about the same age as James Dean when, at the peak of his fame (got through 3 movies,one posthomous) he died, doesn't matter. And there's need of a common agreement among cinephiles, not to get lazy over a definition , very diminutive for the model, as it is for the follower. Let's start with saying DiCaprio's a much more varied, interesting and talented actor than the beloved Jimmy Dean. Surely,thanks to blond hair, blue eyes and a certain smile, he may have some shared traits with the cult icon and, anyway, many "new James Deans" have already appeared on the screens, starting with the unfortunate River Phoenix, a very interesting actor, but at the same time, a self-destructive person, and what's more, unable to make good career choices; another "new J.D.", Brad Pitt confirmed himself as a much tougher, yet (and this is inevitable) much less fascinating actor; the only shared traits are his kicked-up dog looks. Moreover, the steely movie star rules allow someone to become a star only when that someone brings with him something new, surprising sides to its image. Leonardo's made impressive career choices, each of them to confirm a superb acting range and attach to him a movie star image. He set himself free from the unpleasant aftereffects left by his Rimbaud characterization, remaining able to offer an extraordinary interpretation, he "wore" Romeo in a modern musical adaptation so much truer to the original than previous Shakespearean works, he played the poor, romantic artist in "Titanic", with the courage to be sometimes obvious, that only the very greatest have, he was a double character in MITIM, challenging such amazing and interfering actors as John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu and Gabriel Byrne, and came out undefeated. And, even if his face is closely linked to his Mom's German heritage, the Italian roots provided by his father don't allow him to be categorized into one ethnic group, thus benefitting a wider range of fans. Lastly, regarding the movie star image, his glorious first name has been changed to Leo tout-court, just like the simple James Dean became Jimmy to all. And this is, really, the only shared trait. |
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