Not Leonardo DiCaprio. Again. Insert sardonic applause.

The night of March 2 marked the 86th Academy Awards, better known simply as the Oscars. Celebrities got dolled up and groomed as fans gathered in front of their televisions to view the annual spectacle. People oohed and aahed as their favorite stars flaunted their outfits on the red carpet, but I was impatient to find out only one thing.

Personally, the hype wasn’t about the event itself; rather, it was about whether or not long-time nominee Leonardo DiCaprio would finally win Best Actor in a Leading Role. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Romeo + Juliet, Titanic, Inception, Django Unchained and The Great Gatsby have all proved fruitless. But maybe The Wolf of Wall Street would prove otherwise?

Alas, not. At this point, DiCaprio’s lack of luck at winning the Oscars has become something of a running joke for this generation. DiCaprio portraits made of past Oscar winners, long text posts that somehow always revert back to his misfortune, and punchlines about his consistent attendance even as he never wins abound on the Internet. Indeed, he persistently attends the awards show, but he is always just an audience member.

DiCaprio’s losing streak can’t help but have me speculating exactly what is going on here. Is there something fishy going on with the Academy? Is it just bad luck, or what I like to call “the curse of DiCaprio?” Or is DiCaprio unconditionally declining the award behind the scenes out of his own good will?

Regardless, most people agree that DiCaprio deserves an award, even the people who make jokes about his “pitiful” Oscar-less state. The man who rose to fame as romantic heartthrob Jack in Titanic needs recognition for working hard in the film industry. Sure, he might not have been around as long as some others, but he’s been around 20 years, which is long enough.

Besides, it’s not the length of time that matters. The Oscars are about the quality of one’s acting; while I might not be a film critic, DiCaprio’s acting is above average for sure. For instance, take his role as Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. Who else could portray the love in his eyes as he looks at his co-actress? Or exude such anger as he looks at his on-screen competition? Only DiCaprio.

Even as the world demands that DiCaprio win an Oscar, he accepts his fate with good cheer rather than reaching for that elusive award like how Gatsby reached for the green light at the end of the dock (shoutout to Fitzgerald’s symbolism).

As the Oscars drew near, he even said that he appreciates people’s support but that itself is enough for him. Anyone with such respectable acting skills and a good nature is obviously fit for an Oscar. The Academy can think whatever it wants, but DiCaprio is continuously winning the best award an actor could get: admiration from his fans.