LOS ANGELES — Yes, the entire press room erupted in applause and cheers when Leonardo DiCaprio’s name finally got called for the Best Actor Oscars. After his four previous Oscar misses, it seemed everyone at the Dolby Theatre Los Angeles was plain relieved that the 41-year-old actor doesn’t have to try so darn hard anymore.

Clearly, though, they all felt the triple A-lister well and truly deserved it. The whole world was holding their breath for DiCaprio to win the big prize this year, and he finally did with his fur-trapper Hugh Glass role in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu‘s The Revenant.

Which is why the questions came thick and fast when he dropped by to talk to the press, right after the 88th Academy Awards ended. Here are five of the minted Best Actor Oscar winner’s best quotable moments.

1. On how he felt detached from the Hollywood system his whole life

Leonardo DiCaprio: “I grew up in East Los Angeles. I was very close to the Hollywood studio system. But I felt detached from it my whole life. And to have had parents that have allowed me to be a part of this industry, to take me on auditions every day after school, and to tell stories like this has been my dream ever since I was four years old. And this film to me was exemplary in the sense that I got to work with a director. And all the things we spoke about off camera during the making of this movie transferred their way on screen. This was true storytelling. We really got to have a collaborative experience together, and this was a journey that I’ll never forget with Alejandro. It took up, you know, such a large portion of our lives, but, as a result, we have a great film to look back on for years to come.”

2. On where he’s going to put his Oscar (even though he didn’t really answer the question)

Leonardo DiCaprio: “You’ve got to ask where is he (Alejandro G. Inarritu) going to put his second Oscar? Is it going to be next to the first? (Laughs) It’s incredible that two outsiders like Chivo and Alejandro who came from Mexico, came to our industry, were firm in their beliefs artistically, and here we have a two-time winner at the Academy Awards and Chivo a three-time winner. I am so proud to be working with these guys. These guys represent everything about what this industry is and what it should be … it’s awesome.

3. On relentlessly using this stand to make his stand on environmental activism

Leonardo DiCaprio: “You know, for me to be able to sit there and not only talk about the film, but to talk about something that I’ve been duly as obsessed with besides cinema, and that’s, you know, our environment and climate change. To be able to speak about that in a platform of, I don’t know, hundreds of millions of people that are watching this, to me, like I said, this is the most existential crisis our civilization has ever known. And certainly with this upcoming election, the truth is this: If you do not believe in climate change, you do not believe in modern science or empirical truths and you will be on the wrong side of history. And we need to all join together and vote for leaders who care about the future of this civilization and the world as we know it.

4. On simultaneously working on a climate-change documentary and The Revenant

Leonardo DiCaprio: “I wanted to speak out about that tonight because while doing this brilliant film that Alejandro directed, I’ve been doing a documentary about climate change, which has brought me to Greenland, to China, to India, to speak with the world’s leading experts on this issue. And the time is now. It’s imperative that we act … I feel so overwhelmed with, you know, gratitude for what happened tonight. But I feel there is a ticking clock out there. There’s a sense of urgency that we all must do something proactive about this issue.

5. On being aware that the whole world (there was even a WhiteHouse.gov petition to get him an Oscar at one point) has been rooting for him

The audience’s standing ovation for Leo: Watch the audience react to Leonardo DiCaprio’s Best Actor win

Leonardo DiCaprio: “It all feels incredibly surreal. You know, it’s surreal because you can’t reach out and physically meet everybody. You hear it on the Internet, you hear it from other people, and, you know, the truth is, we always strive for the best in what we do. But this year in particular, I’ve been overwhelmed with such support. Really, truly, by so many fans and so many people in the industry. It’s quite shocking, actually. And what can you say except I’m very grateful, I really am.”

Catch the encore telecast of the 88th Annual Academy Awards today at 4pm on HBO (StarHub TV Ch 601).