# Why Brad Pitt and Leo Di Caprio never win an Oscar **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 14, 2014, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688 "2014-03-14T12:45:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/41 "2014-03-14T19:08:39Z")
What do I know, I think they are both damn good actors. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/42 "2014-03-14T19:08:46Z")
> [@Ryan\_Liam](#): > > Johnny Depp springs to mind as well, he is a great actor given a good script, however due to POTC, his chances of gone lower of ever getting an Oscar. Johnny Depp has a lot in common with Leo DiCaprio: they both started out as young, cute TV stars, and they’ve both made SOME huge mainstream hits. But both were ambitious enough to want to do interesting films, not just crowd-pleasing stuff. Depp hooked up with Tim Burton and Leo hooked up with Martin Scorsese because both wanted to prove they were real actors and not just Tiger Beat cover boys. And like them or not, both have made movies and given performances their detractors never would have expected them to give. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/43 "2014-03-14T19:09:41Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I think people mostly think of _Titanic_, and then just dismiss him on that. Let’s face it: that was a bland role to begin with. Kate Winslet had the same crappy material and still did an okay job. Leo was quite noticeably doing a poorer job. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/44 "2014-03-14T19:12:58Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Meh. I’m sure he’s glad it won, but how much do you think he personally had to do with the production? After filming his scenes, do you think he was sitting around helping the director actually make the movie? Or did he go home to his family? As a producer, he _hires_ people to do those things for him. Do you not understand what a producer does? The director reports to the producer, not the other way around. So, no, in his role as producer I don’t think Mr. Pitt was nailing sets together, discussing shots with the director, working with the foley artists, or any of the other thousands of tasks involved in the making of a movie. But I can be pretty damned sure that he was involved in selecting and hiring and paying those people who did build sets, made sounds, and established shots. He was also involved in pre-production and post-production decisions that had nothing to do with the making of the film and had everything to do with getting the film out to the audience so it can earn $50 milllion and get some Oscars. A task at which he succeeded. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/45 "2014-03-14T19:15:03Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Only a certain number of producers for a film (2 max, I think?) are allowed to be considered for the Oscar. 3, except in special circumstances. 2 people can count as “1 producer” if they’ve established a close working relationship, so you can actually have up to 6 people accepting the B. Picture Oscar (for example, produced by “Joel and Ethan Coen” can count as a single credit given their history.) [http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/rules/rule16.html](http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/rules/rule16.html) ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/46 "2014-03-14T19:15:12Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I forget where I’m stealing this observation from, but someone once said that, if Brad Pitt weren’t so handsome, he’d probably be known as a superb character actor. But because he’s so good looking, he’s offered (and he takes) a lot of leading man roles that just aren’t very interesting. Ha, I was about to post almost the same thing. I’m pretty sure I first read that observation here on the SDMB, although I don’t remember if the poster was quoting someone else. I know there was some criticism of the way Brad Pitt was used in _12 Years a Slave_, because casting him in this small but important role meant it came off less as “Our protagonist finally meets someone who is willing to provide him with the crucial assistance he needs” than “A hero suddenly appears out of nowhere to save the day!” Of course the issue was partially just that Brad Pitt was far more famous than anyone else in the movie, but I think an actor who was very famous but less attractive might have seemed a bit less distracting. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/47 "2014-03-15T01:10:38Z")
Y’know, this thread occurs in the wake of an Oscar win by Matthew McConaughey. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/48 "2014-03-15T02:23:34Z")
> [@peedin](#): > > People rave about DiCaprio being such a great actor, but all I see is Leonardo DiCaprio acting. I don’t see him becoming the role. I see an actor playing a role. Pitt is a good actor and to me he seems to be having a good time and sharing an inside joke with the audience of “isn’t this a hoot I get paid to do this?” I concur with this, for the most part. When Mr. Pitt is asked to act by his director, he can act his ass off. _12 Monkeys_ and _Snatch_ should be more than enough to show that to be true. BUT when he’s cast because he’s Brad Pitt, I agree that he’s kind of smirking and having that little joke with the audience. And finally, the truth is that he’s a much better supporting actor than a lead. In a support role, he can and will lose himself in the character. In the vast majority of his starring roles, he cannot do that, because that isn’t why they cast him (hint: it’s because he’s Brad Pitt). DiCaprio tho has always been pretty awful to watch, except for _Catch Me If You Can_, where his boyish looks were an asset and where I did think he turned in a truly outstanding performance. I wonder if I’d feel more positively about DiCaprio if he were in a supporting role, but he doesn’t really seem to have any interest in being anything other than a movie star. ETA: after posting I saw posts #46 ( **Lamia** ) and #39 ( **astorian** ), so I guess I’m just joining this chorus. Ah well, at least I’m in good company! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/49 "2014-03-15T12:24:53Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > As a producer, he _hires_ people to do those things for him. Do you not understand what a producer does? The director reports to the producer, not the other way around. > > So, no, in his role as producer I don’t think Mr. Pitt was nailing sets together, discussing shots with the director, working with the foley artists, or any of the other thousands of tasks involved in the making of a movie. But I can be pretty damned sure that he was involved in selecting and hiring and paying those people who did build sets, made sounds, and established shots. He was also involved in pre-production and post-production decisions that had nothing to do with the making of the film and had everything to do with getting the film out to the audience so it can earn $50 milllion and get some Oscars. > > A task at which he succeeded. According to Wikipedia, Brad Pitt became involved with 12 Years A Slave beginning in August 2011 with many of the roles and the director already chosen. Filming took place from June 2012 through August 2012. During that same time Brad Pitt… - Produced Killing Them Softly (January 2011 - Unknown) - Filmed Killing Me Softly (March 2011 - Unknown) - Filmed World War Z (July 2011 - October 2011) - Produced World War Z (July 2011 - Unknown) - Produced Kick-Ass 2 (May 2012 - November 2012) - Filmed The Counselor (July 2012 - September 2012) So no, I don’t think he had much direct involvement with the movie’s production. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/50 "2014-03-15T12:31:27Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I wonder if I’d feel more positively about DiCaprio if he were in a supporting role, but he doesn’t really seem to have any interest in being anything other than a movie star. What about Django Unchained? I thought he was excellent in that, in a supporting role. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/51 "2014-03-15T12:48:24Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > According to Wikipedia, Brad Pitt became involved with 12 Years A Slave beginning in August 2011 with many of the roles and the director already chosen. Filming took place from June 2012 through August 2012. During that same time Brad Pitt… Talk about selective reading. Try this: > [@](#): > > The idea for 12 Years a Slave was first discussed in 2008, when Plan B executives Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner met with McQueen shortly before the director’s first film, Hunger, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Pitt subsequently discussed the project with McQueen in London, and the director began working on a script with writer John Ridley. Pitt is the sole owner of Plan B. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/52 "2014-03-15T13:10:27Z")
Where are you getting that? That quote is no where to be found in the Wikipedia page for 12 Years A Slave. > **[12 Years a Slave (film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_Years_a_Slave_%28film%29)** > > 12 Years a Slave is a 2013 biographical drama film directed by Steve McQueen from a screenplay by John Ridley, based on the 1853 slave memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, an African American man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C. by two conmen in 1841 and sold into slavery. He was put to work on plantations in the state of Louisiana for 12 years before being released. The first scholarly edition of David Wilson's version of Northup's story was co-edited in 1968 by Sue Eakin and... And while Pitt may be the sole owner, your quote shows that there are a lot of other people involved with Plan B. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/53 "2014-03-15T13:13:03Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Where are you getting that? That quote is no where to be found in the Wikipedia page for 12 Years A Slave. > > [12 Years a Slave (film) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_Years_a_Slave_%28film%29) > > And while Pitt may be the sole owner, your quote shows that there are a lot of other people involved with Plan B. I got it somewhere other than Wikipedia. Try some googling! And yes, the film has many producers. I’m responding to your comment that he wasn’t involved until 2012. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/54 "2014-03-15T13:18:40Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > According to Wikipedia, Brad Pitt became involved with 12 Years A Slave beginning in August 2011 with many of the roles and the director already chosen. Filming took place from June 2012 through August 2012. During that same time Brad Pitt… > > - Produced Killing Them Softly (January 2011 - Unknown) > - Filmed Killing Me Softly (March 2011 - Unknown) > - Filmed World War Z (July 2011 - October 2011) > - Produced World War Z (July 2011 - Unknown) > - Produced Kick-Ass 2 (May 2012 - November 2012) > - Filmed The Counselor (July 2012 - September 2012) > > So no, I don’t think he had much direct involvement with the movie’s production. He had enough to fulfill the Academy requirements, to get his name in the credits, and to _get_ credit. He’s been involved with the film for the past 7 years. What more do you need? ---
**Author:** ![theR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@theR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theR)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/55 "2014-03-15T13:27:04Z")
From a Reddit thread, “[How Leonardo DiCaprio deals with not having won an Oscar.](http://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/20fqmb/how_leonardo_dicaprio_deals_with_not_having_won/)” [How Leonardo DiCaprio deals with not having won an Oscar. - Imgur](http://imgur.com/gallery/PibH1aY) (perhaps mildly NSFW for some workplaces) ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/56 "2014-03-15T14:31:13Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > I got it somewhere other than Wikipedia. Try some googling! So I selectively read something that I never actually read and never claimed to read? Good job, you certainly told me. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/57 "2014-03-15T15:03:14Z")
and this is how Brad Pitt deals with it - [http://thefashionts.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/15oj79z.jpg](http://thefashionts.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/15oj79z.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/58 "2014-03-15T15:27:04Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Y’know, this thread occurs in the wake of an Oscar win by Matthew McConaughey. Exactly. And if you look at their entire bodies of work, Pitt and DiCaprio are far better actors than McConaughey. As soon as one of them stars in a movie about the Holocaust and/or changes their appearance drastically in order to play a dramatic role, the Academy will FedEx them the statue. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/59 "2014-03-15T15:29:25Z")
> [@theR](#): > > From a Reddit thread, “[How Leonardo DiCaprio deals with not having won an Oscar.](http://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/20fqmb/how_leonardo_dicaprio_deals_with_not_having_won/)” > > [How Leonardo DiCaprio deals with not having won an Oscar. - Imgur](http://imgur.com/gallery/PibH1aY) (perhaps mildly NSFW for some workplaces) > [@shijinn](#): > > and this is how Brad Pitt deals with it - [http://thefashionts.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/15oj79z.jpg](http://thefashionts.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/15oj79z.jpg) Think I would lean towards the DiCaprio method. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688/60 "2014-03-15T15:42:06Z")
No love for _Blood Diamond_? I thought Leo was great in that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-brad-pitt-and-leo-di-caprio-never-win-an-oscar/683688.md?page=4)