DiCaprio Defends Co-Star After Oscar Snub, Calls Her Film's "Heart"

DiCaprio, who himself has been nominated for the Academy Awards eight times and won Best Actor in 2016 for The Revenant, spoke after learning that Infiniti did not make it to the Best Actress list for the 2026 Oscars.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 'Titanic' actor while speaking to the Associated Press, the actor made it clear that he believes Infiniti was the emotional center, the "heart and soul", of the movie.

He also added that the film would not feel complete without her role and said her performance was the main force that held the story together.

DiCaprio also spoke about how hard it is for a young actor to carry such deep emotional weight in a first film, calling the task almost "near-impossible." He added that Infiniti handled the situation with great strength and pride.

She was the fabric of this movie. She was the heart and soul," DiCaprio said. "There would be no One Battle After Another without the performance that she gave."

"A young actress coming in to fill a role that was her first film and carrying the entire emotional weight of this movie was a near-impossible task," DiCaprio said. "She should be so proud of herself and we're all so proud of her."

This year, DiCaprio is nominated for Best Lead Actor along with Timothee Chalamet, Ethan Hawke, Michael B. Jordan and Wagner Moura. One Battle After Another also earned nominations for Best Picture, Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson, and Best Supporting Actor for Benicio Del Toro. The film received a total of 13 nominations.

Many had expected Chase Infiniti to be nominated for Best Actress, but the final list includes Jessie Buckley, Rose Byrne, Kate Hudson, Renate Reinsve and Emma Stone. Film industry watchers also pointed out that several other actors missed out on nominations this year.

- ANI