Leonardo's Lesson

Portrayal of Hugh Glass
Photo: 20th Century Fox

Finally, He did it. Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Oscar for his performance in the Revenant. In the film Leonardo portrays an American frontiersman who is left behind by his brothers after being attacked by a bear while on an expedition. This riveting role earned Leonardo his first Oscar for actor in a leading role. This was a huge win for not only Leonardo but the fans as well, Previously Leonardo had been nominated 5 times for his roles in The Aviator, Blood Diamond, Wolf of Wall Street, and What's Eating Gilbert Grape where he he played many diverse roles that many think he deserved to win. This was a long time coming for this 41 year old actor and In his case the 6th time was the charm. As his name was called to receive the award many knew that he would have a lot to say about the hardship of making the film and of course all of the thank you's that follow but no one was expecting what Leonardo ended on.

Leonardo on the Red Carpet
Photo: Jason Merrit

After all recognition was rightfully given Leonardo went to the subject of climate change. The Revenant is a film that shows the connection between man and nature, Leonardo's experiences while making this film opened up his eyes to the real world problem of global warming that he explained by stating "Our Production team needed to go to the southern tip of this planet just to be able to find snow; climate change is real and it is happening right now. " If this doesn't open every human being's  eyes there is a serious problem. Leonardo goes on to say that we all should support world leaders who do not support polluters and big corporations. This speech brings our worldly predicament to light and is meant to stop the procrastination and carelessness when dealing with our environment. Climate change isn't something we can't talk about or shove to the side, if we do not take actions to change our ways we will put the future of humanity in jeopardy.

Leonardo's Speech
Photo: Paul Drinkwater