Leonardo DiCaprio, best actor nominee for his role in "The Wolf of Wall Street," arrives at the 86th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California March 2, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

A lesson from Andy Lau?

Andy Lau, a renowned Hong Kong actor, has faced a similar situation to that of DiCaprio and Raymond Zhou, a columnist for China Daily, said DiCaprio should learn from Lau and choose a character that's totally different from the ones he's chosen in the past in a minimally-invested film. "Like Lau's part in A Simple Life. That was a clever choice."

That seems to be the pattern, as analyzed by Cyber Knight, a film critic."McConaughey starred in romantic films 10 years ago that faltered at the box office more times that he would care to admit" he said. "He must have thought about this, and started taking roles in low-budget films. He wanted to send a message to the actors of his time that he was a true actor. This year's choice was not made coincidentally."

DiCaprio has chosen heavily-invested Hollywood blockbusters and worked with top-notch teams in the past. The characters he has portrayed seem to carry one theme in common – rich and handsome hunks leading lavish lifestyles. Perhaps this is one reason why voters swayed against him this year, and in the past. A change may not be a bad choice.

Related: 5 best Leonardo DiCaprio performances