Top 10 Movie Moments that Made Us Love Leonardo DiCaprio

There’s a reason this movie moment quickly became one of the most popular memes! When this film was released, Leo was at a point in his career where he could have done pretty much anything in this scene and audiences around the world would have loved it regardless. However, when Jay Gatsby introduces himself to a surprised Nick Carraway, he does so in such a manner that you can’t help but feel your heart skip a beat. Leo is pure perfection in Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic 1925 novel. As Gatsby turns, champagne in hand, with fireworks exploding behind him, it’s nearly impossible not to fall for him.

A crowded party; an innocent gaze; a knowing smile…we’ve seen this scenario played out hundreds of times, but very few actors can pull it off quite like Leonardo DiCaprio. After a little bit of flirty banter, DiCaprio’s Frank has Kate Winslet’s April in his arms. What makes this scene great is its simplicity. It’s just two people meeting each other for the first time, both testing the waters. But once they touch, it’s clear that their connection is immediate. Few actors have as much chemistry as these two!

Howard Hughes had no idea what he was in for when he agreed to dinner with girlfriend Katharine Hepburn’s family. A seminal scene from Martin Scorsese’s award winning biopic about famed aviation pioneer Howard Hughes, Leonardo DiCaprio is, in a word, brilliant. This particular scene pits him against Hepburn’s family, who attack him like a pack of wolves. One could argue that this is the film that finally put DiCaprio’s heartthrob image to bed and this scene is part of the reason why. The actor’s full range of emotions is on display, going from meek to aggressive in a matter of seconds. One can’t help but marvel at the man he had become.

Oh this? No big deal. Just Leonardo DiCaprio talking about climate change with the freaking President of the United States! The interview is a small portion of a documentary about climate change that Leo helped to produce in 2016. Leo’s earns big points for discussing the harsh realities of climate change in a clear and concise manner, all while being his usual charming self. It’s a refreshing change of pace to see an actor make an effort to effect positive change on a topic as important as this one. And really, there’s nothing’s hotter than caring about the environment!

“Catch Me If You Can” is the incredible true story of Frank Abagnale, a former conman and imposter who forged millions of dollars worth of fake checks before he turned 19. Leonardo DiCaprio shines in the lead role; looking cool, calm and collected regardless of the increasingly nerve-racking circumstances his character continually finds himself in. Yet, it is this scene in particular that manages to show off all of the young actor’s skills. Leo strolls into a bank looking like a seasoned vet, ultimately settling on the teller he knows will give him exactly what he wants. It’s his character’s absolute confidence that truly makes your knees buckle. Steak dinner? Yes, please!

Christopher Nolan’s seminal sci-fi film about a group of thieves tasked with infiltrating the mind of a wealthy business magnate has no shortage of action sequences or witty banter between characters. However, it is this scene, one of absolute heartbreak, that serves as the film’s catalyst. After watching Mal lament the fact that Dom promised to spend his life with her for half the film, it is almost too much when he tells her that they did grow old together, she just doesn’t remember. It’s a fantastically acted scene from two seasoned vets. Good luck containing your tears when Nolan cuts to the images of an elderly Dom and Mal walking hand in hand.

This film takes place during the Sierra Leone civil war, as a smuggler, a fisherman and a journalist find themselves searching for a massive diamond deep in enemy territory. DiCaprio earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance and this scene will make you see why. For the majority of the film, DiCaprio’s character has one thing on his mind: retrieving the diamond. But he ultimately finds himself bleeding out on the side of a mountain, sacrificing himself so that the others can escape. But not before he makes one last phone call. It’s a truly devastating moment between two great actors, and that accent doesn’t hurt either!

Dripping in style and overflowing with raw emotion, this scene from Martin Scorsese’s 2010 psychological thriller is by far the best of the film. Here, DiCaprio’s character is experiencing a waking vision, one where he is talking to his wife who died in a fire. Watching the anguish on DiCaprio’s face as his wife tells him that he has to let her go is almost unbearable. This is an actor at the top of his game. However, the moment that is guaranteed to bring the waterworks is when he leans in to embrace his wife, only to have her turn to ash in his hands. Pass the Kleenex, please!

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It’s one of the greatest love stories ever told, and Leo shines as the leading man. The film that solidified his status as a ‘90s heartthrob, “Romeo + Juliet” was Baz Luhrmann’s take on Shakespeare’s iconic play. The director could have set Romeo and Juliet’s first encounter anywhere, but he chose to have the star crossed lovers gaze upon each other through the medium of an enormous fish tank. The scene’s lack of dialogue only serves to enhance the sexual tension between DiCaprio and co-star Claire Danes; something that comes to a head later in the film when the two engage in a truly sexy poolside encounter.

Arguably one of the most famous – and most parodied – scenes in film history, the image of Leonardo DiCaprio holding Kate Winslet’s arms at the bow of the ill-fated Titanic is one that people won’t soon forget. There has been a lot of tension and buildup to this scene where he leads Rose to the edge of the boat before asking her to trust him. As Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” plays faintly in the background, Jack and Rose unite for one of cinema’s most romantic makeout sessions. In a film loaded with great scenes – that basement dance party, anyone? – this is the onethat has risen above the rest.