Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro share emotional moment at Cannes 2025

Leonardo DiCaprio and legendary actor Robert De Niro shared a heartfelt moment on stage during the 2025 Cannes Film Festival's opening ceremony.

On Tuesday, May 13, the 50-year-old actor presented his Killers of the Flower Moon costar with an honorary Palme d'Or award. Robert, 81, was seen fighting back tears while receiving the prestigious accolade.

"Leo, thank you for being here with me on this special night, kiddo. Thank you,” the Godfather star began his speech and moved towards the Titanic star to give him a warm hug.

It wasn’t only the two-time Academy Award winner who extended his deepest gratitude, the Wolf of the Wall Street actor star also paid a heartfelt tribute to Robert by delivering an emotional speech before handing the coveted Golden Palm.

He recounted how Robert "changed my life forever" when he cast a teenaged Leonardo in This Boy's Life (1993), one of his first major film roles.

"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," Leonardo, who is dating Vittoria Ceretti, says about the multihyphenate.

During his speech, the Oscar winner also credited Robert for introducing him to director Martin Scorsese.

The trio recently collaborated on Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) for the first time, marking DiCaprio’s sixth and De Niro’s tenth film with Scorsese.