As most, if not all, of you know, Leonardo DiCaprio finally took home is first Oscar at the 88th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, February 28.
For years, the Internet actually exploded with memes regarding the well-renowned actor who had never received an Oscar, although he had been featured in and had performed excellently in many popular and sensational films, including "Titanic" and "The Wolf of Wall Street." Many film critics argue that Leo should have won an Oscar much earlier in his life, due to his phenomenal and "break out" performance in "This Boy's Life." He was only 19 years old at the time of filming for this movie, and the fact that he had already earned so much fame at this age showed how deserving he was of an Oscar.
His first Oscar nomination came around after the release of one of his most popular films, "What's Eating Gilbert Grape." Originally, his role was supposed to be minor, yet DiCaprio's outstanding performance and overall commitment to the film made his role become much larger than originally intended. He then moved on to become a household name following the release of "Titanic." Throughout his many years in the film industry, he has proven himself as a talented and as an individual that is well-deserving of this Oscar award.
Regardless of Leo's numerous accomplishments in the film world, the reasons as to why you should love him go far beyond those that you would expect.
1. His dedication to political and social issues.
During his acceptance speech for his Oscar, Leo basically gave you every reason as to why you should love him and want him to be your best friend. Instead of talking about how well-deserved this Oscar was and how long he has waited for it, he began his speech giving credit for everyone else that was involved in the making of the phenomenal film "The Revenant." He moved on to bring awareness to climate change, an issue that he has become very involved in and very passionate about.
"Climate change is real, it is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating. We need to support leaders around the world who do not speak for the big polluters, but who speak for all of humanity, for the Indigenous people of the world, for the billions and billions of underprivileged people out there who would be most affected by this."
His dedication to climate change awareness has gone so far that he has actually been designated as a Messenger of Peace with a special focus on climate change by the United Nations. He actually attended a ceremony at the UN headquarters on September 20th, 2014. In accordance with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Leo has been asked to use his power and influence in the media to bring attention to climate change and other conflict-driven issues. He has also worked in accordance with John Kerry to secure what has been viewed as the most important international agreement on climate change in history.
2. His fantastic improv skills
You know someone is good at improvising when you didn't even have a clue that it was improvising. In fact, in Leo's case, some of his greatest scenes have actually been improv. For example, his famous "I'm the king of the world" line in the Titanic? Yes, 100 percent improv. Didn't see that coming, right? That line has become so prominent that it was actually ranked in the one hundred greatest movie lines of all time! Leo's improv is so fantastic that it ranked higher than millions of other scripted lines! Great job, Leo. Also, if you recall the vicious and tense dinner scene from "Django Unchained," the part where Leo smashes a glass on the table was actually completely accidental, and even though blood literally gushed from his hand, he was able to maintain character. Meanwhile, I can barely pretend to be awake when I'm tired in class. Teach me your ways, Leo.
3. His generosity and dedication to charities and non-profit organizations.
Leo has always been known as a huge benefactor for many different organizations that help raise money for certain causes. In fact, his dedication towards social and political justice and safety is so great that he actually started his own foundation in his name. He has made numerous films to educate the American population about certain environmental and climate issues. He has supported charities and non-profit organizations such as Cinema for Peace, WWF, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and Feeding America. He doesn't just donate his money, but he follows through and makes sure that he helps these organizations in every way that he can, which is a rare quality to find in Hollywood today.
4. This. Just this.
Need I say more?
5. He never lost sight of who he wanted to be.
Growing up in Los Angeles, Leo always talked about how he was surrounded by so many bad influences as a kid. With the crime rates in his town growing exponentially and the kids at risk of failing in schools rising, Leo decided and vowed to himself that he would never succumb to the peer pressure and temptation that these negative acts could bring into his life. Once he was well on his way to fame, he decided to give back to the town that helped form the man he became, so he donated money to his local childhood library and built a computer lab so all the students could have a safe place and somewhere where they could go to learn after school.
6. He's basically the person that you've always wanted to be.
Look at him, having his life together. How dare he. Why can't I be him? (The question we all ask ourselves, am I right?)
