I didn't like him in the Titanic and I could never sit and watch a 2 hr and 45 minute movie
De Caprio does not have the right look to play Hughes in my opinion it would be like having Ben Affleck playing Frank Sinatra.
It is very hard for current actors to play some of the heavy hitters of the past they just don't have the knowledge, charisma, character and appeal.
Can you think of anyone that could play John Wayne?
That's what I thought but he did the job. John Wayne couldn't play John Wayne.
RE: "I didn't like him in the Titanic and I could never sit and watch a 2 hr and 45 minute movie"
And you didn't watch one then either...Titanic was 3 hrs. and 15 minutes(hee he). Seriously though, many wonderful, epic movies made in the last decade alone more than justified their very long length by giving their situations/characters more room to grow and breathe between the setup and the payoff. Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan, Magnolia, and the Lord of the Rings movies were well worth the time one devoted to them.