Leonardo DiCaprio as Teddy Roosevelt???

[Ben]

IMDB is showing a movie on Teddy Roosevelt coming out in 08 with DiCaprio as Teddy. I'm somewhat dissapointed. I'm a big fan of Roosevelt, having enjoyed many of his books. DiCaprio just seems too, I don't know -- metrosexual to play the part.

[mfree]

He did a hell of a job with Howard Hughes... I think he can pull it off.

[Antibubba]

DeCaprio seems a little, well, borderline personality-that is, after having played the role, it seems to linger with him for quite a while afterwards.  Maybe after the picture opens he'll go on safari and declare war on Cuba!  

[Felonious Monk/Fignozzle]

Whole bunch to be said 'bout the most amazing actors and artists being *quite* unstable in the real world.  

Thin line between brilliance and insanity.

After seeing him in Aviator, DiCaprio is a legitimate talent.
He'll do a bang-up job of TR.

...although I would rather see several others in the role.  Russell Crowe comes to mind.

[mfree]

Crowe? Look at the younger photos of Mr. Roosevelt: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_roosevelt

Also remember Teddy was only 5'8 1/2" tall. And also that he was only 42 when he was appointed President after McKinley's death.

EDIT: Also have to add "speak softly and carry a big stick"... Roosevelt was asthmatic, to severe proportions in his youth.

[Felonious Monk/Fignozzle]

Sure looks to me like Crowe could be a ringer without much makeup, just a whole bunch o' taters to bulk up.

[Ben]

I actually thought Tom Berenger did a good job in Rough Riders, and he looks similar to Teddy. I agree DiCaprio was good in Aviator, but even playing "young and sickly" TR, he just doesn't fit the role IMO.

[AJ Dual]

You could be surprised.

TR had that round smooth boyish face. With a good accent, the glasses and the mustache, he might just pull it off.

Watching DiCaprio in "The Aviator" was like watching Brad Pitt in "Twelve Monkeys". Both roles were sufficient to push them out of the "pretty boy" category of actor into the "talent" category forever.

It might sound like sacriliage, but I have to give the likes of DiCaprio props over other "greats" like Nicholson. Nicholson just plays "Nicholson" in every role he's ever had on screen, his "range" is just realy levels of intensity...

[Iain]

Depends how old Teddy is meant to be in the picture. Crowe is getting on a bit to play a young, young man but make up would allow playing somewhere in the 30's to somewhere much older (see A Beautiful Mind)

DiCaprio (after whole bunch of taters, which is something he did for Gangs of New York) might make a better choice for a younger Teddy. Also, it wasn't The Aviator that made me realise he had talent. It was What's Eating Gilbert Grape which I saw after seeing Romeo and Juliet, although he made it earlier, that made me realise that he was a little more than just the latest movie pretty boy.

[LAK]

Hollywood has often been very good sometimes at seriously miscasting people for significant or particularly interesting character roles; probably in the interests of backscratching.

Although a far from recent film, another that comes to mind is Peter Lawford cast as Lord Lovat commanding British No.4 Commando in The Longest Day.

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[Sindawe]

After watching Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds, I'll give Leonardo the benefit of the doubt.  He may well to the role justice.  I was not that impressed with him in Romeo and Juliet, but found his work in Titannic of sufficient caliber not to dismiss him offhand.

[HankB]

The women in the office recently voted DiCaprio as "Most likely to look good in drag."  (WHY they were doing this, I've no idea . . . and I was afraid to ask if they did the same rating of their male colleagues!)

DiCaprio as TR? . . . Uh uh.

[Felonious Monk/Fignozzle]

Depends how old Teddy is meant to be in the picture. Crowe is getting on a bit to play a young, young man but make up would allow playing somewhere in the 30's to somewhere much older (see A Beautiful Mind)

DiCaprio (after whole bunch of taters, which is something he did for Gangs of New York) might make a better choice for a younger Teddy. Also, it wasn't The Aviator that made me realise he had talent. It was What's Eating Gilbert Grape which I saw after seeing Romeo and Juliet, although he made it earlier, that made me realise that he was a little more than just the latest movie pretty boy.

Crowe was amazing in A Beautiful Mind.

DiCaprio was amazing in G o NY, but I TOTALLY agree the role he played at a VERY young age in Gilbert Grape alongside Depp was extremely predictive of his potential!

Well said, Iain!

[Bogie]

The problem with Gangs of New York was that I kept rooting for my ancestors...

[M67]

Maybe after the picture opens he'll go on safari and declare war on Cuba!

Or more likely charge San Juan Hill every time he sees a staircase?

[SADShooter]

^Cool movie/theatrical reference...

[Stickjockey]

Maybe after the picture opens he'll go on safari and declare war on Cuba!

Or more likely charge San Juan Hill every time he sees a staircase?

I'll be worried if he starts to dig the Panama Canal in the basement...

[seeker_two]

Edward Norton or Rick Schroeder would look more like a young TR than DiCaprio....

Leo could do a passable Bill Clinton, though.....