In a 2015 interview with Variety, Hardy revealed that DiCaprio almost single-handedly got him cast in Iñárritu’s gnarly wilderness epic. According to Hardy:

“[DiCaprio] called me up and said, ‘Dude, I know you’re about to do something where you’re jumping out of helicopters and shooting guns and s***. But before you do that, I need you to take a look at this script. It’s f***ing awesome.’ That’s how it started — ‘It’s going to be f***ing awesome.’ Then I had a meeting with Alejandro, talking through the character. I ended up getting the job.”

How good is Hardy in “The Revenant?” I saw the film at a long-lead screening before awards season was in full swing, and I had no idea he was Fitzgerald until the closing credits hit. I wouldn’t say he’s as chamelon-like as Gary Oldman was in the 1980s and ’90s, but screen “The Revenant” next to “The Drop” and you’re looking at two completely different people. He’s capable of startling transformations, but they never feel like stunts.

It feels like only a matter of time before Hardy wins an Oscar, but if he goes the route of Oldman (who didn’t get his first Academy Award nomination until 26 years after blowing moviegoers away in Alex Cox’s “Sid and Nancy”), that trophy could be a long way off. So, if it’s important for Hardy to stay on the Academy’s radar (and, again, it’s entirely unclear as to what this marvelously talented man truly wants), he could do worse than seek DiCaprio’s awards-chasing counsel (who racked up four nominations between 1994 and 2014 before finally winning Best Actor for “The Revenant” in 2016).