If you caught the Golden Globes last night, you probably saw that Leonardo DiCaprio won Best Actor for his role in The Wolf of Wall Street. But did you notice how much he talked about risk-taking?
In a heartfelt thank you to his mentor, director Martin Scorsese, Leonardo said: “You’re a risk taker and a visionary, and as the history of cinema unfolds you’ll be regarded as one of the great artists of our time. Thank you for your mentorship, and thank you for encouraging me to take risks on this movie.”
Leo and Marty are indisputably two of the most recognized and most respected talents in Hollywood. Leo’s speech got us wondering, how much of these mens’ storied careers are due to their risk taking?
We found this quote from Marty back in 1995 when he was promoting Casino, “There’s no way to know if something lasts. The only thing I can do is to make movies as honestly as possible and take the risks — whatever it means — to do what you think is right.”
It’s interesting to think that at a certain point in their respective careers, neither of these gentleman really needed to continue to take risks. They could have easily inserted themselves into the tried-and-true Hollywood formulas and coasted for the rest of their careers.
But, Leo never made another Titanic.
And Marty recently made an animated movie - a far cry from Goodfellas or Gangs of New York.
Instead of coasting, both men continued to venture outside of their comfort zones and take risks with their art. So as Marty mentors Leo, let the 71 year-old legend mentor you.
How can you apply his advice to your own career? What risks can you take to make your black-and-white life more grey?
Let us know in the comments below.
[Image: PA Images/Jordan Strauss/AP]
Join Leo, Marty and LITG in taking risks this year and discover why risk makes life remarkable:
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