10 Films That Got Actors Taken Seriously
5. The Aviator - Leonardo DiCaprio
Titanic may have seen Leonardo DiCaprio become a household name overnight but it failed to get him taken seriously as anything but a pretty boy in the eyes of Hollywood producers and his teenage fanbase.
DiCaprio was so desperate to shed this image that he considered starring in American Psycho as yuppie serial killer Patrick Bateman before passing on the role and allowing Christian Bale to embody the controversial role. Instead he teamed up with Martin Scorsese who was in search of a young new muse as his previous collaborator Robert De Niro was now too old to play many of Scorsese's youthful protagonists.
His first team up with the renowned director resulted in the underrated classic Gangs of New York but instead of focusing on DiCaprio's serious performance the critics were more focused on his patchy Irish accent and the scene stealing Daniel Day-Lewis who delighted everyone playing Bill 'The Butcher'.
However, his second collaboration with Scorsese saw him play iconic figure Howard Hughes in The Aviator and marked the transition from being dismissed as eye candy to being one of the most critically acclaimed actors of his generation.