The whole Leo thing is interesting, because around the time Titanic came out I remember the only people (disclaimer: around me at least) who seemed to have any opinion on him at all were the teenage fangirls. But in the last few years he has become extremely respected in general - especially in regards to the whole oscar thing. He's a very high profile actor now, and I suspect the reason it's not until recent years that he's gained this attention is that in general younger actors (particularly those who LOOK young) don't seem to get as much general respect, and he was 23 at the time.