Leonardo DiCaprio Says Robert De Niro ‘Changed My Life’ in Emotional Speech Honoring the Legendary Star at Cannes

• Leonardo DiCaprio presented his costar and friend Robert De Niro with an honorary Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival’s opening ceremony

• DiCaprio asserted that De Niro “changed my life forever” when he cast a teenaged DiCaprio in 1993’s This Boy’s Life, one of DiCaprio’s first major film roles

• “That’s the thing about Bob. He doesn’t say much, but when he does, it matters,” DiCaprio said in his speech

Leonardo DiCaprio is celebrating Robert De Niro at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

De Niro, 81, received an honorary Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival’s opening ceremony on Tuesday, May 13 — and DiCaprio, 51, spoke to the legendary actor’s own impact on his life and career while presenting him with the award.

After DiCaprio told the audience that he felt he and every other actor of his generation grew up studying De Niro’s work, the Titanic actor recalled that his career changed for good when he successfully auditioned to costar with De Niro in 1993’s This Boy’s Life.

“The audition process was a tough one. There’s lots of competition. None of us knew who would get the part,” DiCaprio recalled. “And at 15 or 16 years old, I did the only thing I could think to stand out: I screamed at him at the top of my lungs. The room burst into laughter. Later that day, as the story goes, Bob was getting on his plane with a producer, [who] asked, ‘Who do you want to play the part?’ And in classic De Niro fashion, he replied, ‘Second kid from the last.’ “

“Luckily, that second kid was me,” he added. “And that moment changed my life forever, started my entire career in the world of cinema.”

During DiCaprio’s speech, he also credited De Niro with introducing him to filmmaker Martin Scorsese, whom both men have worked with a number of times. The three most recently paired up together for the first time to make 2023’s Killers of the Flower Moon; the film was DiCaprio’s sixth with Scorsese and De Niro’s 10th movie with the acclaimed director.

“That’s the thing about Bob. He doesn’t say much, but when he does, it matters. Whether it’s for his friends, his family, fighting for our democracy, or supporting the art of filmmaking, he shows up,” DiCaprio continued in his speech. While discussing De Niro’s long-running partnership with Scorsese, 82, DiCaprio said the pair “redefined what cinema could be” with movies like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas.

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“Now, if you know Bob, and I think many of you in this room do, you know he’s not someone who particularly enjoys being in the spotlight off camera,” DiCaprio said as he finished his speech. “If I’m lucky, I’ll get a nod from him tonight, maybe even a half smile. And I would take that as a standing ovation.”

“And every once in a while, even the most private giants deserves their moment, a moment to be acknowledged, not just for their work, but for the quiet lasting influence they’ve had on so many lives,” he added. “On my life. So without trying to speak for the entire world of cinema here tonight, but probably doing it anyway, there is no one more deserving of this Palm d’Or lifetime achievement award than Mr. Robert De Niro. Congratulations.”

De Niro thanked DiCaprio at the top of his own speech accepting the honor and hugged the younger actor before he continued, as well as at the end of his speech. The two left the stage together with DiCaprio carrying De Niro’s award. In his own speech, De Niro recalled first attending the Cannes Film Festival with Scorsese in 1973 for their movie Mean Streets; he last attended in 2023 for Killers of the Flower Moon.

“I’ve been here as president of the jury, I’ve been here as a fan, and I’ve been here because this is my community and I need to connect with my community,” he said.

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