During the 88^th Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre, in Hollywood California on Feb. 28, the best actors and actresses were given an award for being amongst the best in their career. It came as no surprise to most that Leonardo DiCaprio was among these Oscar winners. He was nominated five times before for an Academy Award, but emerged short of one each time.

“It’s about time he won an Oscar,” Eric Moreno, 11, said. “He should have won one a while back.”

Leonardo DiCaprio was previously nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, best actor for his roles in The Aviator, Blood Diamond, and best picture (producer) for The Wolf of Wall Street. During his acting career, DiCaprio has been nominated for Academy Awards, British Academy Film Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Teen Choice Awards, Actors Guild Awards, and the MTV Movie Awards. In total, he has won 45 awards out of 161 nominations.

“I remember watching Leonardo DiCaprio in The Great Gatsby,” Jeovany Sanchez, 12, said. “He was great in that movie, and he was great in this one. He deserves that Oscar.”

DiCaprio’s acceptance speech was a performance on its own. He went on to thank his fellow crew members and addressed climate change as a worldwide issue.

“Climate change is real…” DiCaprio said, “it’s the most urgent threat affecting our entire species.”

After the 2013 Academy Awards, fans of DiCaprio were shocked that he had not secured an Oscar for his role in The Wolf of Wall Street. Ever since, fans have flocked to social media jokingly stating that DiCaprio was “robbed” of an Oscar. The 88^th Academy Awards brought relief and contentment to fans as they witnessed him finally achieve the honor.

“DiCaprio is a really good actor,” Samuel Vasquez, 12, said. “I loved The Revenant. It really demonstrated his acting skills.”

Those who have seen “The Revenant” know how few lines DiCaprio actually has in it; he barely talks in the film. Not to mention, many of the hardships the characters face in the movie are ones the actors and crew encountered. At one point, production of the film was cancelled for five weeks due to the weather reaching below 40 degrees. Cameras stopped working, and people had a hard time opening their eyes and moving their fingers in those conditions. DiCaprio also went so far as to eat a raw bison liver just to get a scene from the movie to look more realistic. As a result, the movie delivered a very surreal, and memorable experience. It was truly an award winning performance by DiCaprio.