Christian Bale vs. Leonardo DiCaprio

[Laderlappen]

It annoys me when people say DiCaprio does roles only to get an Oscar. In almost every movie he has made the last decade, he gets to play interesting roles in great movies by some of the great directors in the world and some of the greatest actors in the world. Christ you could describe his 2 movies this year the same. There are so many good reasons to take the parts he does before 'having a chance of getting an oscar'.

If you describe leo as 'trying to look like a serious actor, trying to get an oscar', then you could describe Bale in the same way.

 

[dark_b]

It annoys me when people say DiCaprio does roles only to get an Oscar. In almost every movie he has made the last decade, he gets to play interesting roles in great movies by some of the great directors in the world and some of the greatest actors in the world. Christ you could describe his 2 movies this year the same. There are so many good reasons to take the parts he does before 'having a chance of getting an oscar'.

If you describe leo as 'trying to look like a serious actor, trying to get an oscar', then you could describe Bale in the same way.

hes lost of weight? you could say that. but Bale's movies are not oscar movies.
while Leo's are a lot of times oscar movies.

i think he did and will do in the future. do movies to get an oscar

 

[TheFuture]

Bale wants to become the character. He could play scenes in most of his films differently to be more audience or award friendly. Audiences (and award voters) like to see the actor showcasing their talent. But whatever best suits the character in this film is how Bale plays it. He does not chew scenery or want the audience to see his craft. He just wants the audience to see Bateman or a guilty insomniac or a subtly conflicted and guilty FBI agent.

He plays the part looking for how best to express the character. He internalizes the character and tries to push that forward in his performance.

DiCaprio, who is amazing and I am not trying to insult him, prefers a more leading man approach to acting. He completely understands his characters, but he wants the audience to see how into it he is. He wants the audience to see the mechanics. When he does a scene, he doesn't just look for what is best for the character (which he does) but also what best showcases his talent and how good he is in the character. He is an actor who loves a good crying or screaming scene because he shows how good he is and can move the audience that way. He is more a great versatile leading man than a character actor in this way.

I hope that helps clarify what I was trying to say.

Woah, spot on.

It's interesting that you mention Public Enemies, I don't know how many people have dismissed Bale's performance in this film. I thought he was great, such a subtle performance but one that spoke volumes about how conflicted the character was. But because there were no "money shot" scenes where Bale could have a screaming fit or drone out a few soliloquies apparently that makes the performance bad.

 

[Crook]

Bale wants to become the character. He could play scenes in most of his films differently to be more audience or award friendly. Audiences (and award voters) like to see the actor showcasing their talent. But whatever best suits the character in this film is how Bale plays it. He does not chew scenery or want the audience to see his craft. He just wants the audience to see Bateman or a guilty insomniac or a subtly conflicted and guilty FBI agent.

He plays the part looking for how best to express the character. He internalizes the character and tries to push that forward in his performance.

DiCaprio, who is amazing and I am not trying to insult him, prefers a more leading man approach to acting. He completely understands his characters, but he wants the audience to see how into it he is. He wants the audience to see the mechanics. When he does a scene, he doesn't just look for what is best for the character (which he does) but also what best showcases his talent and how good he is in the character. He is an actor who loves a good crying or screaming scene because he shows how good he is and can move the audience that way. He is more a great versatile leading man than a character actor in this way.

I hope that helps clarify what I was trying to say.

I understand what you're saying, but the theatricality is dictated more by the role itself than it is an acting decision on-set.

Bale doesn't chew up scenery, but then again he doesn't have much screen charisma himself, nor do the majority of his characters require it. Leo does plenty of "showy" acting, but this was all in the script, thus the moment calls for it.

See what I mean?

bale is a great actor (one of my fav.), but i would like him to do more small productions. if this poll would be about the actor who could generate the most money at the box office, it would be bale..

On what grounds? Bale has not led a single film not called Batman, to any sort of moderate financial success. Leo has. Countless times in this past decade.

hes lost of weight? you could say that. but Bale's movies are not oscar movies.
while Leo's are a lot of times oscar movies.

Who's fault is that? It's a stupid criticism, because all you're really saying is the actor is better at choosing quality movies that people will see and/or like.

 

[dark_b]

Who's fault is that? It's a stupid criticism, because all you're really saying is the actor is better at choosing quality movies that people will see and/or like.

he is selecting IMO that kind of movies because of awards.

 

[Crook]

Have you seen the directors he's worked with? Not his fault the material he likes to work with is noted by critics and the academies.

 

[dark_b]

Have you seen the directors he's worked with? Not his fault the material he likes to work with is noted by critics and the academies.

i think he also saw it before he signed the contract

 

[Laderlappen]

This is how it works in a few steps:

1. DiCaprio gets one of the greatest scripts he has written. One of the best characters he have ever played. The movie is gonna be directed by Scorsese and gets to act with Jack Nicholson.
2. Movie wins Best Picture at the Oscars
3. The public says 'DiCaprio did that movie just because of the Oscars'.

 

[Ghostvirus]

I would say Dicaprio for his earlier stuff, but he seems to of hit the wall that Hanks hit in the 90's Caprio has found a style that gets him the money, so he really isn't stretching it like he used to during his Gilbert Grape days.

Bale is still at least experimenting to a certain level. Although he seems to be leveling off now. He hasn't done enything like the Machinist lately.

 

[Brother Jack]

Daniel Day-Lewis is the best actor on the planet right now, by far. He is the only one currently working that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Brando.

I honestly feel that Daniel Day-Lewis may be the best actor ever, or at least the best actor I've ever seen. There are those on par with him certainly, like Brando or DeNiro, but when I look at DDL I see someone who has truly mastered his art, a guy who has only gotten better with age. The same can't be said of those other guys, great as they were in their prime.

I'd like for you to name these roles with complete transformations, nonetheless. I might catch some flack here, but Ledger is the last actor in recent memory that has turned in an original performance of that level. Twice, with Brokeback and TDK. And come to think of it, throw in DDL for GONY and TWBB. Those four roles are the epitomy of throwing yourself senseless into a character, eradicating practically everything of their real self. Bale's good, but he has never delivered something that good.

Bale's performance in American Psycho, probably his best to date, is at that level in my opinion.

 

[DACrowe]

It annoys me when people say DiCaprio does roles only to get an Oscar. In almost every movie he has made the last decade, he gets to play interesting roles in great movies by some of the great directors in the world and some of the greatest actors in the world. Christ you could describe his 2 movies this year the same. There are so many good reasons to take the parts he does before 'having a chance of getting an oscar'.

If you describe leo as 'trying to look like a serious actor, trying to get an oscar', then you could describe Bale in the same way.

I think Leo is an amazing actor who has had the much better career over the last 5+ years than Bale. He has done some amazing work. But it is not a secret he is shopping for an Oscar.

The Aviator is my favorite movie of his, but he expected the Oscar. If you watch when he lost it to Jamie Foxx, you can see the disappointment and resentment that year.

And I'm going to be honest, you don't do Sam Mendes films, especially one on one of the Academy's four favorite subjects (sexual and female repression in 1950s America, only trumped by the Holocaust, gay rights and mentally handicapped performances) unless you are shopping for awards. Revolutionary Road is the very definition of an Oscar bait film, but The Reader took its spots that year as it was the better picture of the Oscar bait films (and again Holocaust does trump '50s America angst).

I love DiCaprio's work, but he honestly really wants a best actor nomination. And I am shocked that the Academy took him out of the running in 2006 when they nominated his solid work in Blood Diamond over the performance of his career in The Departed. I think it was a calculated move as the academy is not prepared to let him win an Oscar. But Revolutionary Road is pure Oscar bait and go back to watch his interviews and reactions to the Oscars in 2005.

But hey, by looking for that next best actor movie and by working as Scorsese's new point man, he has established himself as arguably the best actor of his generation (he certainly is in the top 5) and will get his Oscar yet. Too bad Paramount screwed him with Shutter Island. That was a great (non-Oscar bait) film that actually had one of his best performances. He and the cinematography were screwed out of some real recognition by being moved to February, unfortunately.

 

[DACrowe]

I understand what you're saying, but the theatricality is dictated more by the role itself than it is an acting decision on-set.

Bale doesn't chew up scenery, but then again he doesn't have much screen charisma himself, nor do the majority of his characters require it. Leo does plenty of "showy" acting, but this was all in the script, thus the moment calls for it.

See what I mean?

I actually understand. But that has to do more with their styles than just the roles. But I get your point. For example, Howard Hughes is such an over-the-top character and was so charismatically theatrical I don't think I'd care to see Bale's take of the role in The Aviator. DiCaprio was perfect (albeit Christopher Nolan wants to do a Howard Hughes film one day so we may yet see Bale's take). Conversely, I would not want to see DiCaprio in The Machinist or American Psycho. He would not have found the humor in Bateman that Bale did and I think he may have been too histrionic in the Machinist.

Still, there are other roles where seeing each other's alternative could be interesting. Seeing Bale as Billy Costigan or Teddy Daniels (especially Teddy) would be very, very interesting. Oppositely seeing how DiCaprio would have interpreted Purvis in Public Enemies or Bruce Wayne would have been interesting to see. I don't think there is only one way to play any of these characters and their styles could have interesting contrasts if we were able to see them.

On what grounds? Bale has not led a single film not called Batman, to any sort of moderate financial success. Leo has. Countless times in this past decade.

Well do you count Empire of the Sun? Sure it was a Speilberg WWII film and Bale was an unknown, but he carried that film. Also, 3:10 to Yuma was a hit.

 

[Laderlappen]

I think Leo is an amazing actor who has had the much better career over the last 5+ years than Bale. He has done some amazing work. But it is not a secret he is shopping for an Oscar.

The Aviator is my favorite movie of his, but he expected the Oscar. If you watch when he lost it to Jamie Foxx, you can see the disappointment and resentment that year.

And I'm going to be honest, you don't do Sam Mendes films, especially one on one of the Academy's four favorite subjects (sexual and female repression in 1950s America, only trumped by the Holocaust, gay rights and mentally handicapped performances) unless you are shopping for awards. Revolutionary Road is the very definition of an Oscar bait film, but The Reader took its spots that year as it was the better picture of the Oscar bait films (and again Holocaust does trump '50s America angst).

I love DiCaprio's work, but he honestly really wants a best actor nomination. And I am shocked that the Academy took him out of the running in 2006 when they nominated his solid work in Blood Diamond over the performance of his career in The Departed. I think it was a calculated move as the academy is not prepared to let him win an Oscar. But Revolutionary Road is pure Oscar bait and go back to watch his interviews and reactions to the Oscars in 2005.

But hey, by looking for that next best actor movie and by working as Scorsese's new point man, he has established himself as arguably the best actor of his generation (he certainly is in the top 5) and will get his Oscar yet. Too bad Paramount screwed him with Shutter Island. That was a great (non-Oscar bait) film that actually had one of his best performances. He and the cinematography were screwed out of some real recognition by being moved to February, unfortunately.

Just because he want an oscar doesnt mean he does a movie just so he can win one. And just because you dont like Sam Mendes doesnt mean everybody dislikes him.

 

[Nivek]

The Pacino and DeNiro of this generation.

 

[Crook]

I actually understand. But that has to do more with their styles than just the roles. But I get your point. For example, Howard Hughes is such an over-the-top character and was so charismatically theatrical I don't think I'd care to see Bale's take of the role in The Aviator. DiCaprio was perfect (albeit Christopher Nolan wants to do a Howard Hughes film one day so we may yet see Bale's take). Conversely, I would not want to see DiCaprio in The Machinist or American Psycho. He would not have found the humor in Bateman that Bale did and I think he may have been too histrionic in the Machinist.

Well I don't think it's fair to either of them to dismiss a particular portrayal that they haven't had the chance to try out. I definitely do think they're both quite capable of pulling off any of those roles you just listed, it's just not their traditional type.

While I think Leo's the more versatile, I haven't seen either pull off that landmark role of their careers...yet. AP has been Bale's closest, Aviator for Leo. Great, great performances, but not defining. So it'd be interesting to see which will actually go that extra mile and flex their acting muscles to it's fullest potential.

Well do you count Empire of the Sun? Sure it was a Speilberg WWII film and Bale was an unknown, but he carried that film. Also, 3:10 to Yuma was a hit.

Bale was a supporting role in that film, everyone knows Crowed led that. 3:10 grossed well. I don't consider it in any way a "hit" at the box office. Ditto for EOTS.

The Pacino and DeNiro of this generation.

Nah, that goes to DiCaprio/Depp. They're both consistently delivering great performances, almost always in relevant movies, and most importantly...they are leading men.

 

[Iceman]

Bale wants to become the character. He could play scenes in most of his films differently to be more audience or award friendly. Audiences (and award voters) like to see the actor showcasing their talent. But whatever best suits the character in this film is how Bale plays it. He does not chew scenery or want the audience to see his craft. He just wants the audience to see Bateman or a guilty insomniac or a subtly conflicted and guilty FBI agent.

He plays the part looking for how best to express the character. He internalizes the character and tries to push that forward in his performance.

DiCaprio, who is amazing and I am not trying to insult him, prefers a more leading man approach to acting. He completely understands his characters, but he wants the audience to see how into it he is. He wants the audience to see the mechanics. When he does a scene, he doesn't just look for what is best for the character (which he does) but also what best showcases his talent and how good he is in the character. He is an actor who loves a good crying or screaming scene because he shows how good he is and can move the audience that way. He is more a great versatile leading man than a character actor in this way.

I hope that helps clarify what I was trying to say.

I mentioned earlier that I think DiCaprio is the better actor (although Bale is also one of the best) but the above is a good explanation of your views & I can go along with all your points. You can't blame DiCaprio for wanting to get taken seriously and almost hunting (well deserved) awards & recognition as I'm sure he's fully aware how good an actor he is capable of being but a lot of that gets lost when you have mainstream hits like Titanic & Romeo & Juliet early in your career (exacerbated by the fact that the pretty boy image was a significant factor in those film's success). Since then he has been a lot more careful about which projects he chooses & has begun to show how good he is. At this pace I believe he will soon prove himself the leading actor of his generation. As superficial as it sounds, when he actually starts looking like an adult I think a lot more people will be acclaiming DiCaprio as a great. Will probably have to wait another 10 years for that though t:

 

[Mace Dolex]

Pretty funny that you say this. I just got finished watching Godfather 1 and 2, both of which...gasp...won Best Picture. Those movies are about as Italian as you'll find in Hollywood, yet they won. Story written by an Italian. Script co-written by Italians. Director is Italian. Many of the actors were Italians.

Will we be seeing a Godfather remake with those imbeciles from the Jersey Shore?

 

[Mace Dolex]

On what grounds? Bale has not led a single film not called Batman, to any sort of moderate financial success. Leo has. Countless times in this past decade.

Leo's past movies haven't been that great financially either and while Bale might only do the hardened repressed characters with Leo it's the same thing.

Bale at least is more diversified in his roles although a romantic comedy might do him good with Leo all he wants is the artsy fartsy critical recognition.

 

[bullets]

Leonardo DiCaprio was under consideration for the role of Jew Hunter in Inglorious Basterds , I wonder if he could of pulled that off. Not that I'm saying I wanted it to happen but it's interesting that it almost did.

 

[kang604]

Both actors have very anticipated movies coming out as well.

Bale with The Fighter, and Leo with Inception. It'll be interesting to see how these roles affect this argument.

 

[matrix_ghost]

It annoys me when people say DiCaprio does roles only to get an Oscar. In almost every movie he has made the last decade, he gets to play interesting roles in great movies by some of the great directors in the world and some of the greatest actors in the world. Christ you could describe his 2 movies this year the same. There are so many good reasons to take the parts he does before 'having a chance of getting an oscar'.

If you describe leo as 'trying to look like a serious actor, trying to get an oscar', then you could describe Bale in the same way.

I think we can all agree that Gangs Of New York really was the moment when Leo ditched his pretty boy image and really went for the serious acting right ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_DiCaprio
Gangs Of New York released December 20, 2002 just in time for the oscar season

Aviator released December 20, 2002. Again just time for the oscars

Blood Diamond December 8, 2006

The Departed released in October. I'll admit that it's "earlier " compared to when the oscar-gunning flicks are released but still.

Revolutionary Road . Limited release in dec of 2008 , went wide in Jan of 2009

Shutter Island. Was also initially slated for oct. 2009 but later was pushed back yet everyone knew that the movie was finished in time for the oscar season.

I think it is pretty obvious that Leo is going for a Best Oscar award however he continues to act well. Some actors ( like say Eddie Murphy) try to go for a best actor nom/award once or twice but if they don't win , they revert back to the (cheap) money making crap they got famous with. That is the differecne with those people and DiCaprio.

 

[Brian Braddock]

Damn good point. ^^^^^^

In regards to 'who does what film just to get an Oscar' debate, would it be fair to say that the more commercial the movie, the more likely the actor is to be pushing for an oscar? There are undoubtedly occasions where an actor has took a role just because they think it will be a dead cert for a gong. Surely that is an indication of an actor's intentions, as stated so eloquently by RDJ in Tropic Thunder.

Argueably, Leo's 'Oscar' worthy roles have featured in more commercial vehicles than Bales ones.

 

[Laderlappen]

I think we can all agree that Gangs Of New York really was the moment when Leo ditched his pretty boy image and really went for the serious acting right ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_DiCaprio
Gangs Of New York released December 20, 2002 just in time for the oscar season

Aviator released December 20, 2002. Again just time for the oscars

Blood Diamond December 8, 2006

The Departed released in October. I'll admit that it's "earlier " compared to when the oscar-gunning flicks are released but still.

Revolutionary Road . Limited release in dec of 2008 , went wide in Jan of 2009

Shutter Island. Was also initially slated for oct. 2009 but later was pushed back yet everyone knew that the movie was finished in time for the oscar season.

I think it is pretty obvious that Leo is going for a Best Oscar award however he continues to act well. Some actors ( like say Eddie Murphy) try to go for a best actor nom/award once or twice but if they don't win , they revert back to the (cheap) money making crap they got famous with. That is the differecne with those people and DiCaprio.

Oh give it up already, its pathetic. He makes movies that are released in autumn, his only reason to make them is because of the Oscars? 90% of the great movies are released in the last 4 months of the year. 4 of those is directed by Martin Scorsese. You dont think he just love working with him. DiCaprio is not in charge of the release date anyway.

So you prefer actors that only does movies just for the money like Christian Bale. Its a cliche how comicbookfans cant understan how an actor would do a movie directed by the greatest director in the world, starring some of the greatest actors in the world, instead of a stupid mindless action film or a superhero movie.

 

[Matt]

I think we can all agree that Gangs Of New York really was the moment when Leo ditched his pretty boy image and really went for the serious acting right ?

I'd actually say it was Baz Luhrmann's Romeo+Juliet. It may not have been pretty, but I think the doing Shakespeare really helped him grow as an actor.

 

[JAK®]

I'd actually say it was Baz Luhrmann's Romeo+Juliet. It may not have been pretty, but I think the doing Shakespeare really helped him grow as an actor.

I wouldn't say playing Romeo would be the best way to get rid of his teen heart-throb image.