The recent U.S. attack on Venezuela has caused widespread Caribbean travel disruptions, with its fallout now affecting Hollywood as well. Academy Award-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio was scheduled to attend the Palm Springs International Film Festival, where he was set to receive an award for his performance in One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. However, flight restrictions imposed in the wake of the attack prevented DiCaprio from traveling back to the United States, forcing him to miss the event.
As he is stuck at St Barths due to travel restrictions, DiCaprio shared a video with the festival organisers, to be played at the ceremony. In the video, he thanked his co-stars Chase Infiniti, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro, Sean Penn, and Regina Hall. The actor said, “I will start by thanking two extraordinary women, Chase and Teyana. Thank you for that introduction. Thank you for standing across from me every day in the film. It was an absolute privilege. The honesty, the intensity and the fearlessness you both brought to this work are rare.”
He continued, “This film exists because of that collaboration. So to the rest of my fellow actors, Sean, Regina, Benicio and the entire cast and crew, thank you for the trust and generosity. To the entire team at Warner Bros, because this movie exists because you believed in it, and to Paul Thomas Anderson. Thank you for inviting all of us to something bold and original — to never settling and for trusting the process.”
For the unversed, Leonardo DiCaprio is vacationing along with girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti, Tom Brady and other celebs in St Barths.
The chairman of the festival, Nachhattar Singh Chandi, had announced the Desert Palm Achievement Award for Leonardo DiCaprio on November 18 and said, “In One Battle After Another, Leonardo DiCaprio delivers a riveting and emotionally charged performance, embodying a man pushed to his breaking point in the face of relentless adversity. Across his career, DiCaprio has continually redefined what is possible in screen acting — bringing emotional depth, artistic integrity and fearless commitment to every role.”
He added, “It is our honour to present him with the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor, in recognition of his enduring influence and exceptional body of work.”
