Leonardo DiCaprio Fans in Rural Russia Have Made Him an Oscar

Leonardo DiCaprio Fans in Rural Russia Have Made Him an Oscar
Leonardo DiCaprio and the Oscar that fans of him in Russia's Yakutia region have made for him. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, Roman Kutukov)
The Associated Press
2/26/2016
Updated:
2/29/2016

YAKUTIA, Russia—Come what may at the Academy Awards, Leonardo DiCaprio will have an Oscar—or at least a close replica of the coveted statue.

Residents in Russia’s Far East have made a statue for DiCaprio that bears close resemblance to the Oscar prize and is made from donated metals. Nearly 150 DiCaprio fans from the Yakutia region donated the 1.5 kilograms of silver and 4 grams of gold to make the statue for the American, who is nominated in the best actor category for his role in “The Revenant.”

One fan, Anna Ivanova, says “even if DiCaprio does not receive an Oscar, he will still be our favorite.”

DiCaprio, whose grandmother was Russian, is popular in the country, and he met with Vladimir Putin in 2010 to discuss tiger conservation.

Tatiana Yegorova, a fan of actor Leonardo DiCaprio, poses with a fake Oscar statue made by residents of Russia's far eastern Yakutia region, in Yakutsk, on Feb. 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Roman Kutukov)
Tatiana Yegorova, a fan of actor Leonardo DiCaprio, poses with a fake Oscar statue made by residents of Russia's far eastern Yakutia region, in Yakutsk, on Feb. 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Roman Kutukov)