Famous people—Leonardo DiCaprio

An EFL lesson for middle-level students

Nov 2023. eflsuccess.com ⇔

Warm up: Tell the group something you already know about Leonardo DiCaprio.

Vocabulary:

(*key terms) [click here for common English abbreviations]

*blockbuster: a book or film that enjoys enormous success
breakthrough: a major achievement or success that permits further progress (in a career, scientific discovery, etc.)
celebrities: famous people
*cliché: an over-used expression or idea that has lost its meaning or power; sth people used to believe about a group of people (e.g., women, actors, politicians) that isn’t really true
environmentalist: sb who is concerned about protecting the environment
*environment: the natural features of a place, such as plants and animals that grow/live there and the weather/pollution/etc that affects them
eco-friendly: not harmful to the environment
to gross (grossing): to bring in money (esp for a movie) seen as a total, before subtracting the cost to make the project (salaries, distribution, cost to make props, taxes, etc.)
gunslinger: often refers to “cowboys” in America’s old west, who were known for the ability to quickly remove (“draw”) a gun from their belt and kill others
heartthrob: an actor or celebrity (usually male) whom many young people have a romantic desire about
indie: independent, especially referring to an artist who is not connected to a specific producer/publisher/etc.
*kicked: when sth has been hit with sb’s foot; the sensation that an unborn baby has suddenly moved or “kicked” his/her mother
*landed: implies effort in achieving sth, like the effort that a pilot uses to get an airplane safely to an airport (“He landed a job after a lot of effort.” “The captain helped his ship to land on time.”)
*to nominate (nomination): to officially offer someone’s name in hope that he/she will win a contest, election, promotion, etc.
sitcom: short for “situation comedy,” a funny TV drama based on things that might happen in day-to-day life
*took off: to quickly get better or higher, like an airplane that just left an airport
*role model: a person you admire, and therefore you want to copy his/her attitudes and actions

Leonardo DiCaprio

Underlined vocabulary terms are defined above, followed by discussion questions.

Few actors in the world have had a career quite as diverse as Leonardo DiCaprio’s. He went from small TV roles to become a leading actor in Hollywood blockbusters, made by internationally famous directors. DiCaprio is also known for his environmentalist activities. He flies on commercial flights instead of private jets and has an eco-friendly house. He has inspired other celebrities to take up environmental causes.

DiCaprio started with relatively humble beginnings. Born in 1974, he got his name because his pregnant mother said he first “kicked” while she was looking at a Leonardo da Vinci painting in Italy. At age 12, Leo’s stepbrother (also an actor) encouraged Leo to take up acting, so he looked for an agent but was unsuccessful.

After making some advertisements, Leonardo was in the TV sitcom Growing Pains (1985). DiCaprio took up a diverse range of roles in the early 1990s, including a mentally challenged youth, a young gunslinger, a drug addict, and the famed lover “Romeo.” The young actor’s big breakthrough came in 1993 when he got a leading role opposite the famous actor Robert de Niro in The Boy’s Life. Also in 1993, and only 19 years old, Leonardo starred alongside Johnny Depp in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. That performance earned him an Academy Award (Oscar) nomination. He then became a major teenage heartthrob as the lead actor in the film Romeo + Juliet (1996).

DiCaprio’s career took off, and soon thereafter he landed the role of Jack in Titanic (1997), which made him a superstar. Titanic won 11 Oscars and beat all box office records to date, becoming the highest grossing movie of all time. For a while, more people searched for Leonardo on the Internet than any other personality! He said later he would “never reach that state of popularity again”.

In the 2020s, IMDB reported that Leo’s salary is $20 million per movie. As an actor who moved from small roles on TV to being one of the most respected actors in the world, DiCaprio has had one of the most diverse careers in the industry. He is also active as an environmentalist and humanitarian. Today, DiCaprio prefers to think of himself as an indie actor. Leonardo continues to accept a variety of roles, and to awe audiences by his skills and by refusing to conform to clichés about actors.

Synonym match:

Match the words from the article on the left with their synonyms on the right. Are your answers the same as other students’?

Numbers in parenthesis ( ) tell you which paragraph.

(1) Few actors in the world have had a career quite as diverse as Leonardo DiCaprio’s. He went from small TV roles to become a leading actor in Hollywood blockbusters, made by internationally famous directors. DiCaprio is also known for his environmentalist activities. He flies on commercial flights instead of private jets and has an eco-friendly house. He has inspired other celebrities to take up environmental causes.

(2) DiCaprio started with relatively humble beginnings. Born in 1974, he got his name because his pregnant mother said he first “kicked” while she was looking at a Leonardo da Vinci painting in Italy. At age 12, Leo’s stepbrother (also an actor) encouraged Leo to take up acting, so he looked for an agent but was unsuccessful.

1. instead of (1) a. expectant
2. inspired (1) b. rather than
3. pregnant (2) c. sought
4. looked for (2) d. motivated

Paragraphs 3-5

5. alongside (3) e. got/won
6. earned (3) f. very good-looking
7. heartthrob (3) g. next to
8. searched for (4) h. very different
9. reach (4) i. Googled
10. reported (5) k. get to
11. diverse (5) l. said (in the media)

Discussion:

Are there any terms you want to ask your teacher about? (As always, please do not answer any question that makes you uncomfortable.)

Have you seen any films Leonardo DiCaprio was in? Tell us about one of them.
How did Leonardo get his name?
Think of someone in history (e.g., in the Bible, or even yourself), and tell us where their name came from. (Can’t think of anyone? See Gen 21:1-7)
The text said Leonardo took a “diverse range” of roles early in his career. Why do you think that was a good (or bad) choice?
In 1997, Leonardo became a superstar at age 23. Do you think it is easy or difficult for young people to handle the pressures of such stardom? Explain.
Do you think that Leonardo is a good “role model”? Why or why not?
Some people think that actors should act, singers should sing, athletes should stick to sports, and so on—and stay out of things like environmentalism and politics. What do you think about this?
Although most of us are not “famous,” we all have an influence on the people around us. Tell your group something you are passionate about (for Leonardo that might be environmentalism), and why.

If you have extra time, discuss these two quotes:

“Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.” The Bible: Ecclesiastes 10:10

“Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” Francis Chan

For more exercises (and additional lessons on famous people), visit: https://famouspeoplelessons.com/l/leonardo_dicaprio.html

Sources include:

https://famouspeoplelessons.com/l/leonardo_dicaprio.html
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000138/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
http://www.wikipedia.org/ and assorted biographies.

Matching answers: 1-b 2-d 3-a 4-c 5-g 6-e 7-f 8-i 9-k 10-l 11-h

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