Leonardo DiCaprio photographed during his acceptance speech at the Oscars. (Image courtesy: AFP)
The phrase "never won an Oscar" can no longer apply to Leonardo DiCaprio. The actor, who was famously snubbed by the Academy five times, was awarded best actor for his performance in
The Revenant.
DiCaprio was heavily favored to win, with many a fan and critic declaring he "deserves" it now more than ever. One created the website
HasLeoWonAnOscar.com, which was promptly updated with a "Yes :)."
DiCaprio been waiting since 1994, when he received his first nomination, for his role in
What's Eating Gilbert Grape. Then came
The Aviator,
Blood Diamond and
The Wolf of Wall Street (as both an actor and producer): all losses. (Also Read:
Oscars: Leonardo DiCaprio is Finally King of the World. Twitter Explodes)
Skeptics say he's never been good enough to win - it only seems he's been treated unfairly because he is so universally beloved and swoon-worthy.
Oscars take:
The Revenant is an overrated mess, and Leonardo DiCaprio's performance wasn't all that special.
But DiCaprio seemed to know tonight was his night, and after thanking the people who made
The Revenant and his career possible, he used his platform to spread a message he's been advocating for a long time:
"Climate change is real," he told the audience. "It is happening right now."
He implored viewers to band together and "stop procrastinating. . .For our children and for those people out there whose voices have been drowned out by the politics of greed."
DiCaprio saw climate change firsthand while filming
The Revenant. As he mentioned when accepting his Oscar, the crew had to go to the "tip of Argentina" to find snow.
"We shot at high altitudes in Calgary, and weather conditions were unprecedented. The locals had told us they'd never had weather extremes like that since they've lived there," he said at the SAG Awards earlier this year, according to the New York Daily News. "And you realize that 2015 was the hottest year in recorded history, December was the hottest, you know, December in recorded history."
Last month, DiCaprio met with Pope Francis to discuss climate change. His foundation reportedly wrote a check to the Pope for charities "close to his heart." He's been writing quite a few checks lately, after pledging to donate $15 million to 30 organizations focused on global conservation projects. (No word on whether he bought Girl Scout cookies from Chris Rock's daughter during the show.)
"Let us not take this planet for granted," he said as he concluded his speech. "I do not take tonight for granted."
(c) 2016, The Washington Post