Actor Leonardo DiCaprio received a warm State Department welcome during Tuesday’s “Our Ocean” conference from Secretary of State John Kerry — the renewal of a 10-year bromance.
The highlight of the gathering was the Obama administration’s announcement that it will set aside a large section of the central Pacific Ocean as a marine sanctuary, the Washington Post reports.
Kerry introduced DiCaprio, an active environmentalist and former supporter of Kerry’s 2004 presidential bid.
“He is a terrific example of how an artist, an actor, a person of celebrity can take that celebrity and make it meaningful in the context of things that matter to people’s lives on a day-to-day base, more than being entertained,” Kerry said. “And he has used it to capture the public’s attention on this particular issue about the oceans.”
At the time, DiCaprio referred to Kerry’s campaign as “the most important election of my lifetime,” and said that President George W. Bush made “disastrous choices when it comes to the environment” during his first four years in office.
DiCaprio reciprocated Kerry’s praise, and applauded his “years of leadership working to protect our oceans.”