Why Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese ‘Debate for Months’ Before Every Movie

Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese are preparing yet another collaboration. According to DiCaprio, these team-ups always come with months of debate before the cameras begin to roll.

“[It’s] lots of questions and lots of playing devil’s advocate about a way to approach things that may not be the most obvious direction,” DiCaprio said in conversation with Scorsese at Time’s “A Year in Time” event Wednesday. “We’re doing that on the new film that we’re doing now, but it’s been absolutely one of the most profound learning experiences.”

The “One Battle After Another” star spoke with his longtime director about their intertwined careers. DiCaprio first starred for Scorsese in 2002’s “Gangs of New York” before appearing in “The Aviator,” “The Departed,” “Shutter Island,” “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Now, they’re teaming up again for a new film, “What Happens at Night,” with DiCaprio starring alongside his “Don’t Look Up” co-lead Jennifer Lawrence.

“We have this ability to collaborate together, and it’s based on trust and love,” Scorsese said. “We go to places sometimes that at times feel almost impossible.”

DiCaprio called the pair’s months-long debates about film a form of “cinema education,” one that has given life to their multiple collaborations. The actor noted that he met Scorsese, 32 years his senior, at a party when he was only 18. Scorsese commended his work in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.”

“Marty’s very obsessive as a filmmaker, he thinks about every single detail,” DiCaprio said. “Over the years, I’ve learned the times when there’s a malleability and ways to pivot in the storyline, but I’ve also learned the times where you have a specific shot list.”

DiCaprio has no ambitions of finding the same obsession. During the conversation, the actor noted that his biggest “regret” is paying too much attention to what he was doing in front of the camera, rather than closely observing the work Scorsese did behind it. Even without seeing every intricate detail, DiCaprio said Scorsese’s immense craft has discouraged him from pursuing directing in his own future.

“People have asked me if I want to direct. I’m like, ‘I would never want to direct. I could never do anything close to what Martin Scorsese does. Why would I do that?'” DiCaprio said. “But if I look back on anything, I would have loved to have observed that process behind the camera a lot more.”

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