Leo and Michelle Do It Again!
"The 2012 SAG Award Nominations prove that child actors can transition into the adult world of acting"
The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards is scheduled for Sunday, January 29th and is a celebration of acting, by actors, for actors. A true testament to recognizing the stellar work of your peers, the SAG Awards shows us that even A-list celebrities see the value in honoring one another for a job well done.
Among the list of nominees are two former child stars who have transitioned seamlessly from child actors to successful Hollywood celebs with some of the most notorious resumes of all time. Leonardo DiCaprio is nominated for "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role," for his depiction of J. Edgar Hoover in J. Edgar. Michelle Williams was nominated for "Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role," for her depiction of Marilyn Monroe in My Week with Marilyn.
Starting off with supporting roles on television shows like "Growing Pains," "Step by Step," and "Home Improvement," both Leo and Michelle grew as actors and parleyed their experiences into notable characters like Alma in Brokeback Mountain (Williams), and Arnie in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (DiCaprio). The two even shared the screen in Shutter Island.
This year both are being admired for their ability to depict notorious individuals of the past and have been praised for capturing the heart and soul of both Hoover and Monroe. DiCaprio, in particular, has become an expert at transforming himself into real-life characters of the past having played everyone from Frank Abagnale, Jr., to King Louis XIV, to Howard Hughes.
In a December interview with Backstage's Jenelle Riley, Leo admitted that playing the role of J. Edgar was "incredibly challenging."
"I put a lot of research and preparation into it," he said. "I don't want to say this was the hardest role, but I would say pound for pound, for the amount of time we had to shoot this movie and the amount of things that I had to accomplish just on a character level and a personal level of what I wanted to put up on screen, this was the most challenging."
His former Shutter Island co-star faced similar challenges, admitting to the Washington Post that taking on the role of Hollywood icon, Marilyn Monroe, was nerve wrecking. "You don't know," she said, "essentially you don't know; you just have to decide to start."
Are you ready to really start? Actors of all levels continue to comment that research and preparation lead them to their success. Children In Film is filled with a vast amount of resources to help you prepare, and with connections to people who can help you take your skills to the next level.
