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Oscars 2023 is all set to take place on March 12, with some of the finest films of 2022 making it to the list of nominees. As fans are rooting for their favorite stars and artists to bag some major wins at the Academy Awards for their work, excitement is also at an all-time high for the acceptance speeches following a win.
Some of the most memorable speeches at the Oscars have come from actors who received awards for their performances in the lead role. Be it Leonardo DiCaprio, who gave a much-anticipated speech when he finally received an Oscar after multiple nominations over many years, or Joaquin Phoenix, who took the opportunity to speak about larger issues, many won hearts through just their speeches.
Here is a list of the best and most popular thank you speeches from Best Actor winners at the Oscars.
Related: Top 5 actors won Oscars
5 best acceptance speeches from lead actors at the Oscars
1) Jamie Foxx
It's always a pleasure to hear artists speak about their unique backgrounds and how they see themselves fitting into the current scenario of the industry. Jamie Foxx did just that when he was delivering his acceptance speech after he won an Oscar for his role as Ray Charles in the movie Ray. He also went on to thank a bunch of people for contributing to his success.
"Let's live this African-American dream. It's beautiful. I'm glad I'm with you and I ain't never leaving you. So I love you," Foxx exclaimed, right after he thanked his managers. He then continued to thank his family members and anyone who helped him in the slightest of ways to make connections that led him there.
The gratitude and elation in Foxx's speech made his one of the most memorable speeches at the Oscars.
2) Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio's win at the Oscars was a long awaited victory, as he was nominated multiple times for other movies before he finally took home the award in 2016 for his role in The Revenant. DiCaprio used the opportunity to shed light on the larger issue of climate change, cleverly drawing parallels from his film.
Emphasizing his concerns about global warming and climate change, the actor said:
"Making ‘The Revenant’ was about man’s relationship to the natural world, the world that we collectively felt in 2015 as the hottest year in reported history — our production needed to move to the southern tip of this planet just to be able to find snow."
Apart from the fact that it was long awaited, his sensitive speech won hearts and made his victory all the more meaningful.
3) Eddie Redmayne
Like Jamie Foxx, Eddie Redmayne also expressed a great deal of gratitude and love for those who supported him through his journey when he won the Oscar for his role in The Theory of Everything:
"This Oscar, this belongs to all of those people around the world battling ALS. It belongs to one exceptional family: Stephen, Jane, Jonathan and the Hawking children. And I will be its custodian. And I will promise you I will look after him – I will polish him; I will answer his beck and call; I will wait on him hand and foot. But I would not be here were it not for an extraordinary troupe of people."
His interest in speaking about those who helped him out and addressing much larger issues widened his fan base significantly.
4) Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey's speech is perhaps the most popular on the list, and for the most peculiar reason too. During the speech, McConaughey said his famous line "Alright, alright, alright," which soon went viral all over the internet right after the Oscars.
While receiving his award for his role in Dallas Buyers' Club, the actor said:
"So, to any of us, whatever those things are, whatever it is we look up to, whatever it is we look forward to, and whoever it is we're chasing -- to that I say, Amen. To that I say, "Alright, alright, alright." To that I say 'Just keep living.'"
He also thanked his director and his co-stars and congratulated all the other nominees, declaring that all their performances were spectacular, further winning over fans with his speech at the Oscars.
5) Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando is the earliest to be offered an Oscar on this list and is also perhaps the only favorite across generations. However, many are unaware oft the fact that Brando, who is widely loved for his role in The Godfather and will forever be remembered by cinephiles, actually turned down the Oscar for his role.
He had the president of the National Native American Affirmative Image Committee appear at the ceremony and declare his refusal:
"He very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award. And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry – excuse me – and on television in movie reruns, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee."
Marlon Brando proved himself to be a sensitive, aware artist after this and became popular for his gesture among cinephiles and those passionate about the issue too.
The Oscars will be aired on March 12, 2023.
