Leo wins an Oscar… finally

Hollywood’s hottest attended the 88th annual Academy Awards Sunday night, and the Internet has been abuzz ever since.

Chris Rock’s opening dialogue boldly addressed #BlackLivesMatter and #OscarsSoWhite, “Mad Max” won six Oscars in varying categories and Whoopi Goldberg was mistaken for Oprah.Despite all that, the shining moment of the night went to the king of the world himself.

Twenty-three years after his first nomination from the academy, actor Leonardo DiCaprio took home his first Oscar for Best Actor for his role as Hugh Glass in “The Revenant”.

DiCaprio’s first nomination was in 1993 for Best Supporting Actor for “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.” He is best known for his role as Jack Dawson in “Titanic,” which received 14 Oscar nominations and 11 wins. None of them were for DiCaprio, and the world never got over it.

The 41-year-old’s lack of Oscars became a popular internet meme over the years and fans of the actor used the memes both as an affectionate jab at him and as an outlet for their frustrations at the Academy for snubbing him.

Those who loved him, for his talents in acting or for the joy of laughing at his expense took to the Internet to erupt in celebration.

DiCaprio’s Oscar win was the most tweeted about Academy Awards moment ever. According to Digital Trends, the moment the world had been waiting for was tweeted about more than 440,000 times.

DiCaprio accepted the award with a level of humility hard to find from someone so prominent in the movie industry, his genuine smile lighting up the room full of people that practically refused to stop applauding for him.

Offering a flood of thanks to those who had influenced him and worked endlessly with him, DiCaprio proceeded to use his speech to talk about everything and everybody but himself.

“The Revenant” showcases the story of a man’s relationship to the natural world, and DiCaprio used a sizable portion of his acceptance speech to discuss environmental issues, specifically climate change.

He urged those listening to work collectively , to speak for indigenous people and those who are underprivileged and do not have an active voice in our politically-charged society.

DiCaprio has always held such viewpoints about climate change and environmental activism, but not many celebrities would take the time out of their speeches to address something other than themselves.

While there is nothing wrong with holding a sense of pride in a job well done, DiCaprio’s near refusal to address his role anywhere in his success, and instead using his momentary spotlight as a platform for a worthwhile cause was refreshing from the ‘me, me, me’ attitude typically expected at award shows.

“Let us not take this planet for granted. I do not take tonight for granted,” DiCaprio told the world before one final thank you.

The world, much like the former empty spot on his award shelf, waited for that moment for years. Leo, we won’t take it for granted, either.