Oscar potshots：Career missteps and dirty secrets that best-actor nominees would rather keep u

February 4, 2007 (Press Release) -- After all, it's very rare for an actor to be nominated for his or her very first performance. Lest anyone in tinsel town have too big of an ego, we're here to knock them back down to earth.

Leonardo DiCaprio for "Blood Diamond"
DiCaprio may have established himself as one of the best actors working today, but don't expect him to thank the producers of TV's "Romper Room" if he wins an Oscar. Li'l Leo got his start at age 3, but reportedly was nearly fired for being bratty. If he wins and his ego gets out of control, you can always remind him he made his feature film debut in 1991's "Critters 3," a sci-fi-slash-horror-slash-comedy that is a mainstay on cable's USA network when that channel isn't running "Law and Order" reruns.

CAREER MISSTEPS: TV's "Growing Pains" and pretty much just about everything he's done since "Titanic" that hasn't been directed by Martin Scorsese.

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: The force wasn't with Leo when he passed on the role of Anakin Skywalker in "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones." Many in Hollywood thought he was also crazy when he backed out of the lead role in "American Psycho." The role later went to Christian Bale, who made a name for both himself and for his six-pack abs (trust us, rent the film). As much as fans would have loved to see him in the outfit, Leo certainly isn't having any dark nights over passing up the role of Robin in "Batman Forever."

DIRTY LITTLE SECRET: Leo sued Playgirl magazine in 1998 to prevent it from showing him doing the "fully monty" on the set of 1995's "Total Eclipse."

Ryan Gosling for "Half Nelson"
It's a good bet the eligible bachelor won't be walking the red carpet with fellow former "New Mickey Mouse Club" Mouseketeers Christine Aguilera, Britney Spears or Keri Russell. He also probably won't be giving any shout-outs to his boy Justin Timberlake, even though he lived with Timberlake and Timberlake's mom while wearing his mouse ears.

CAREER MISSTEPS: The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences somehow failed to notice his talent in earlier TV shows like "Are You Afraid of the Dark?," "Goosebumps," "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues" or for that matter "Young Hercules."

BIGGEST DIRTY LITTLE SECRET: He was home-schooled in his native Ontario by his strict Mormon parents because the kids in school used to pick on him.

Peter O'Toole for "Venus"
The odds that O'Toole will swap stories of being on the set of 1979's violent and slightly pornograpaligula" with former fellow "Caligula" star (and Oscar-nominated actress) Helen Mirren? Not bloody likely.

CAREER MISSTEPS: Aside from "Caligula," not many. There's a reason he already has a lifetime achievement Oscar on his shelf.

DIRTY LITTLE SECRET: He was once a raging alcoholic. But that's not a secret, now is it?

Will Smith for "The Pursuit of Happyness"
Smith turned down a scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to pursue a career in music. Good thing the acting gig came along or he would have never heard the end of it from his parents.

CAREER MISSTEPS: 1999's "The Wild Wild West." We aren't just being hard on the guy; even he says he's embarrassed to have made it.

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: He turned down the lead role of Neo in "The Matrix" (though his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, had no problem playing the role of Niobe in its sequels).

DIRTY LITTLE SECRET: He's kind of a nerd. In addition to getting into M.I.T., he enjoys playing chess. Unless, of course, you think chess is sexy. Then we say you're delusional and there's no use arguing with you.

Forest Whitaker for "The Last King of Scotland"
Whitaker made his feature film debut in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" opposite Oscar favorites Sean Penn and Nicholas Cage.

CAREER MISSTEPS: Forest's work in 1995's "Species" and 2000's "Battlefield Earth" were anything but royal. Forest also made an attempt to fill the late Rod Serling's shoes as narrator on a remake of "The Twilight Zone." It lasted one season.

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: Forest took a pass on the role of Sawyer on "Lost" after Fox tapped him to direct the Katie Holmes vehicle "First Daughter." You could argue he dodged a bullet when he was dismissed as director on the lackluster 2004 live-action version of "Fat Albert" after getting into a disagreement with creator Cosby.

DIRTY LITTLE SECRET: Like fellow nominee Will Smith, he's also a bit of a nerd. Though he initially earned a football scholarship, he had to put the gridiron behind him after a back injury and eventually majored in operatic voice at the University of Southern California.

Source: http://www.msn.com
POSTED BY MISHA DAVENPORT