Oscar Got It Wrong!: Best Actor 2006

The Contenders:

Leonardo DiCaprio: Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling: Half Nelson
Forest Whitaker: The Last King of Scotland (winner)
Will Smith: The Pursuit of Happyness
Peter O’Toole: Venus

Blood Diamond

Format: DVD from Northern Illinois Founders Memorial Library on laptop.

I remember vaguely hearing about Blood Diamond when it came out. Specifically, I remember the trailer because of Leonardo DiCaprio saying in a South African accent that in the U.S. the phrase is “bling-bling” but where they are, the phrase is “bling-bang.” That seemed like such a weird line, so forced. It wasn’t a film that interested me tremendously, to be honest.

But we’re nearing Oscar time, and one of the questions that regularly pops up is a variation of “Who is the best actor/actress/director/etc. to never win an Oscar.” In the actor category, one name that won’t wait too long to be mentioned is Leonardo DiCaprio. So I figured it was time to watch a film that earned him another trip to the always a bridesmaid, never a bride party. (By the way, the correct answer for the greatest actor to never win an Oscar is Peter O’Toole, who missed on all eight of his nominations. Sorry, Leo fans.)