Leonardo DiCaprio bagged the top prize at the National Board of Review Awards. The National Board of Review Awards took place at Cipriani on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. Notably, DiCaprio won the “Best Actor” award for his black-comedy action thriller, One Battle After Another. Interestingly, the film also bagged the “Best Film” award.
Leonardo DiCaprio wins top prize at National Board of Review Awards
Leonardo DiCaprio clinched a big win at the National Board of Review Awards. Notably, it is one of the big awards leading up to the prestigious Oscars. The 51-year-old actor delivered a sincere speech about the importance of cinemas and the big-screen theatrical experience on the awards night.
DiCaprio remembered how his father took him to watch the original King Kong at the age of four. He recalled “crying hysterically” at the end of the movie, which left an indelible mark on him. He admitted, “As I kept on watching, something shifted in me.”
DiCaprio expressed his deep love for theatres and watching films on the silver screen. The Titanic star shared, “As I became an adult, I began to understand that cinema is our most definitive art form. It expresses what it means to be human.”
The One Battle After Another star, who played Ghetto Pat Calhoun, profusely thanked director Paul Thomas Anderson for the experience. He remarked, “Very few filmmakers consistently live up to that ideal. One of them is Paul Thomas Anderson. I waited 25 years … to make a film like this. That is so topical. So pertinent. About extremism, about divisiveness. That says something about the world we live in. It was an absolute honor and a joyous experience.”
The Revenant star also thanked his mother, Irmelin Indenbirkin, who was cheering for him in the audience. He expressed, “She believed in me long before there was absolutely any reason to. This moment only exists because of you.”
Fans loved the actor’s heartwarming speech at the awards. One fan commented, “This is the kind of speech that matters, not the 45-second formulaic hollow trash on live broadcasts.” ” A second fan wrote, “Well deserved!” A third fan penned, “Give him the Oscar now… he’s already got his speech.” Finally, a fourth fan shared, “HE WAS AWESOME IN OBAA. WELL DESERVED.”
