Leonardo DiCaprio may have been stranded in paradise, but even an international crisis couldn’t stop him from stealing the spotlight. The Oscar-winning actor was forced to skip the Palm Springs International Film Festival on Saturday night, where he was slated to receive the prestigious Desert Palm Achievement Award for his powerhouse performance in One Battle After Another.
DiCaprio, 50, was reportedly stuck in St. Barts—where he’d been celebrating the New Year with friends—after U.S. military action in Venezuela triggered widespread airspace restrictions that grounded flights across multiple regions. What began as a political crisis quickly turned into a Hollywood twist worthy of its own screenplay.
A rep for the festival confirmed to Variety that DiCaprio couldn’t make it due to “unexpected travel disruptions and restricted airspace.” The Palm Springs International Airport also posted an alert on X (formerly Twitter), warning travelers of a ground stop impacting Southern California airports. While inbound flights managed to land, departing planes—including DiCaprio’s—were stuck on the tarmac or rerouted.
Still, the ever-graceful A-lister made his presence known. DiCaprio sent in a pre-recorded video acceptance speech that played for the star-studded crowd. Looking composed but passionate, he used his moment to champion the power of cinema:
“Movies are still meant to be experienced together in a theater,” he said. “That belief matters more than ever.”
He went on to praise filmmakers fighting to protect originality in a world dominated by streaming. “Movies still matter—not just the content, but cinema itself,” he added.
Meanwhile, the chaos grounding DiCaprio stemmed from dramatic geopolitical developments. The crisis erupted after U.S. forces reportedly captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, sparking global headlines and unprecedented flight restrictions. The couple was later flown to New York to face narcoterrorism and weapons charges.
Despite the swirl of international turmoil, DiCaprio’s latest film continues its awards-season momentum. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another follows an ex-revolutionary confronting his violent past to save his daughter. The film has grossed over $205 million worldwide and was crowned Best Picture of 2025 by the National Society of Film Critics. DiCaprio has already earned a Critics Choice nomination for Best Actor, adding yet another accolade to his career’s golden streak.
Though the festival went on without him—featuring A-list appearances from Miley Cyrus, Timothée Chalamet, Kate Hudson, and Michael B. Jordan—DiCaprio’s absence became the evening’s unexpected headline. Stranded on a Caribbean island while the world watched a geopolitical storm unfold, the actor somehow managed to turn missing an award show into yet another cinematic moment.
