Why this is the year Leo will finally grab Oscars gold

As the 88th Academy Awards draw ever closer there’s only one pressing question on everyone’s lips – will it finally be Leo’s year?

The 41-year-old is the strong favourite to finally scoop his first ever Oscar after being nominated in the Best Actor category for The Revenant, but will he finally get his hands on that gold statue after a 27-year wait?

The Revenant picked up three Baftas last weekend including Best Actor, Best Director and Best Picture, and looks a solid choice to secure more awards this coming weekend. Leo’s gritty performance as legendary frontiersman Hugh Glass sees him brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead, prompting the film’s hero to utilise some serious survival skills.

While it would seem a travesty for anyone else to pick up the award (Matt Damon only had to survive on Mars in The Martian after all) Leo is all too familiar with Oscar rejection, and here’s a look back at the snubs he’s faced over the course of his career.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

A then 19-year-old DiCaprio earned his first Oscar nom for his role as disabled teen Arnie Grape in which he starred alongside Johnny Depp.

A rising star at the time, Leo lost out in the Best Actor in a Supporting Role category to Tommy Lee Jones for The Fugitive.

The Aviator (2005)

Leo enjoyed a second Oscar nomination 12 years later for his character Howard Hughes, but again it was not meant to be as Jamie Foxx pipped him to the post for Best Actor in a Leading Performance after he dazzled in Ray.

Blood Diamond (2007)

By now DiCaprio was a pro at pulling the loser face, and it was used once again at the 79th Academy Awards when Blood Diamond failed to take home any wins.

Instead The Last King of Scotland’s Forest Whitaker scooped the Best Actor award, and Leo was left empty-handed once more.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Surely this was to be the year that Leo would finally break his Oscard duck? His outrageous portrayal of Jordan Belfort had it all, telling the true story of a wealthy stock-broker living the high life with drugs, women, crime, corruption and government involvement.

Unfortunately for Leo though the film came up against Dallas Buyers Club, for which Matthew McConaughey beat him to the Best Actor award, and Twitter swiftly ensued to console the star by starting a #PoorLeo trend.

So while it may seem like he’s got this year’s Oscar in the bag, Leo is no stranger to rejection, and he’s up against some heavy titles yet again.

Eddie Redmayne has seen a lot of hype surround him recently, and given his diverse portrayal of Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl he could be good value at 20/1.

Michael Fassbender’s performance as the late Steve Jobs could also be worth a flutter at 33/1 given the Apple giants status.

Millions will wait with bated breath for the announcement on Sunday, but anyone who is prepared to eat raw bison liver for a role should deservedly be called up on stage to receive the gold.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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