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It happened, everyone. Leonardo DiCaprio finally won his Oscar.

Did he deserve it? Of course he did; and no, he did not win out of pity.

DiCaprio has been nominated for an Oscar award six times throughout his career and finally took home the golden statue this past Sunday for his lead role in the film “The Revenant.” Before, there was a popular meme of DiCaprio depicting the fact that he had never won an Oscar, despite the fantastic movies he has starred in. But Sunday night his hard work paid off as the Academy recognized the outstanding job DiCaprio did playing a fur trader who is left to die after being attacked by a bear.

However, DiCaprio should not just be recognized for his fabulous acting skills. DiCaprio is an amazing person, even while the camera’s turned off. When he won the Golden Globe award for Best Actor, he addressed far more important matters, specifically the significance of the indigenous peoples of America.

“It is time that we recognize your history and that we protect your indigenous lands,” he said in his acceptance speech.  

He also heads the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, an organization “dedicated to the long-term health and wellbeing of all Earth’s inhabitants,” according to its website. DiCaprio addressed the pressing matter that is climate change during his Oscar acceptance speech and how we need to act now and “stop procrastinating” on protecting our environment.

DiCaprio deserves his award for more reasons than one. He is an incredible actor and an astounding activist who deserves to be admired.-J. Gallop