5 Reasons Leonardo DiCaprio Should Win Best Actor Oscar This Year (And 5 Reasons Why He Won't)

2. Utter Physicality (He Should)

The Academy likes to award actors who are "taken out of their comfort zone" and at first glance it doesn't seem like Belfort breaks new ground for DiCaprio. He's played charismatic con men before (Catch Me If You Can and Inception to a lesser extent), and Matthew McConaughey's transformation through weight loss for his role in Dallas Buyers Club is going to be a tough gimmick to beat. If you're looking for a distinguishable characteristic that sets apart this Leo performance from others, it has to be the physicality he brings to the role. The Lemmon Quaalude sequence where he writhes on the ground in order to get to his car immediately comes to mind, and it's impressive how cartoonishly he can move his body while dancing during the wedding reception. But it's more than just the over-the-top comedic moments that bring his character's movements to mind, he consistently moving his body in a way to assert his dominance over the person he is currently with. His physicality in the movie is incredible, which is another reason why he is worthy of the award.