While staring at a DaVinci painting amidst a Florence museum, young Irmelin Indenbirken felt a gentle kick in her stomach and decided to name her unborn child, Leonardo. Like the the famous Italian polymath, Leonardo DiCaprio is very much this era’s “Renaissance Man”. Great thinkers of the 17th century often referred to Leonardo DaVinci with this term of endearment–one that is “unquenchable curiosity” and “feverishly inventive imagination”. It is a person that embodies expertise and profound knowledge in a plethora of spheres: intellectual, artistic, social, and physical.
Even if I set aside by 18 years of love and bias, the manner in which this man has carried his life, his career, and his relationships explicate the compassion and very humanistic perspective he upholds in all of his endeavors.
An Artist.
“Probably the only thing I knew with complete clarity was that I wanted to be an actor. But there was a lot of rejection early on, and so it never felt like, Hey, I’ve got something here. There was always an element of me that needed to prove something to myself. It’s something I don’t want to get rid of, because it’s what drives me. I’m never settled and I’m never satisfied.”
Born in Hollywood, it seems Leo was always destined for the actor’s stage. He started his career with commercials and television shows that eventually lead his breakthrough performance in “This Boy’s Life”, where he was personally chosen by Robert DeNiro out of 400 young men. Since then, he has become one of the finest and most versatile actors, who has a range that goes from Titantic to The Aviator, The Wolf of Wall Street to Revolutionary Road, Catch Me If You Can to The Departed, and Inception to The Revenant. He has the ability to adapt accents and fluctuate vocal modulations, as seen in Django Unchained. While also adding subtle nuances and vulnerability to real characters. His undying passion for cinema and thirst for artistic expression has garnered him six Academy Award nominations (1 win) and eleven Golden Globes (winning 3). In essence, there can not be such a thing as a bad Leonardo DiCaprio movie. (However, I’ve permanently eradicated The Beach from my memory.)
A Humanitarian.
“You work on these movies and you’re creating fantasy all the time. When you come back to the real world, you realize the problems that are out there and if you can give any kind of help or insight on these issues, it’s something that fulfills you, that’s all. It fulfills you, and it’s a great feeling to know you are possibly contributing some small element to helping the world be a better place.”
Growing up on the downside of advantage, he recognizes the importance to branch outside of his craft and use his fame, popularity, and money towards philanthropic efforts. His foundation has granted nearly 430,000 people in Tanzania, Mozambique, Sierre Leone and Darfur access to clean water. In addition to this, while filming for Blood Diamond, he became involved with SOS Children’s Villages–an organization that cares for children of deceased or missing parents and ensures access to education, healthcare, and psycho-social support. He has also lent his support and donations to members of the LGBT community and protecting indigenous societies.
A Feminist.
“Women have been the most persecuted people throughout all of recorded history, more than any race or religion.”
A man that has constantly considered his mother “a walking miracle” because she taught him the value of life–he understands the trials of women in all arenas and walks of life. Plus, he does not chide away from the F-word.
An Environmentalist.
“The main focus is to do something that will change the world. I couldn’t have gone to Belize and built on an island and done something like this, if it weren’t for the idea that it could be groundbreaking in the environmental movement.”
He has used his influence over the years to join scientists and politicians resolve the imminent threat to the Earth’s environment, ecosystems, and species. Joining forces with Al Gore and the Wildlife Conservation Society to educate the ignorant and mobilize the enthusiasts. Only last year, Leo purchased an island off the coast of Belize, Blackadore Caye–which has suffered from overfishing, an eroding coastline and the deforestation of its mangrove trees. Leo plans to assemble a “Restorative” resort that promotes sustainability, eco-friendliness, conservation, and eco-tourism that negates negative impacts on the landscape and natural resources.
A Social Thinker.
“To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the ultimate tragedy.”
I realize all of these characteristics do not perfectly align with the notion of a true Renaissance Man. Sure, he may have never graduated from High School and only completed his GED. Also, he might not be an expertise in every field. However, he excels at cinema, art, creative expression, and imaginative escape. Furthermore, he is an allegorical representation of the term “Renaissance Man”; however, with a slight twist. Holding true to the ideas of the man his name originated from, he has constructed a life that is not solely rooted in his career. But a life that serves others–a life that has a purpose and existence outside of his own identity. His knowledge is not limited to one subject, but he actively desires to learn more about the sciences and the world. Leo is not merely one thing. He is the accumulation of all that is mentioned above and so much more. This is why he is MY Renaissance Man and so utterly successful in everything he sets his mind to.
I end with this idea that Leonardo DaVinci once shared, “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” As DiCaprio did.
The Flaneuse Journal 