10 Best Leonardo DiCaprio Movies Of All Time

10. What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

If you haven't seen this film and are stuck for time, American Dad does a surprisingly loyal and loving tribute to it. DiCaprio represented by a squirrel is the depiction you never knew you needed.

While this is ostensibly a Johnny Depp picture, DiCaprio's performance is often singled out as the heart of the entire piece. He plays the mentally disabled Arnie, brother to Depp's Gilbert. They have a tight bond and the film is a sentimental depiction of a very dysfunctional family unit.

DiCaprio was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar here. To prepare for the role, he spent time living with children with mental disabilities. He found the experience to be highly illuminating, saying that while people may expect them to be one way or another, he says it was refreshing to him to view the world through their eyes.

He found that through their eyes, the world always seemed fresh. He plays this with an honest earnestness that stands out, tugging on every heartstring in the room as Arnie struggles to understand what's happening around him. His relationship with Depp is clearly well developed, yet his struggle to come to terms with the loss of his mother is rough.

The film is an example of what DiCaprio had to offer as a young man, which was really the beginning of his explosion into Hollywood.