At the prestigious A Year in TIME event in New York City, Hollywood icon Leonardo DiCaprio revealed he has permanently dismissed any aspirations to become a film director, attributing his decision to profound admiration for Martin Scorsese’s directorial mastery. The 51-year-old Oscar winner, currently collaborating with Scorsese on their seventh joint project, expressed unwavering reverence for the legendary filmmaker’s craft during their candid conversation.
DiCaprio articulated his position with unmistakable clarity: ‘When people inquire about potential directing ambitions, my response remains unequivocal – I would never pursue that path. The cinematic excellence Martin Scorsese achieves is simply incomparable. Why would I attempt something I could never approximate?’
The actor reflected on his professional evolution with notable introspection, acknowledging occasional regrets about not sufficiently observing the directorial process during earlier career stages. ‘As performers, we immerse ourselves in character psychology with intense dedication,’ DiCaprio noted. ‘In retrospect, I wish I had embraced more opportunities to simply observe Marty’s directorial techniques behind the camera.’
Their distinctive collaborative methodology involves extensive preparatory work months before filming commences. DiCaprio emphasized their creative dynamic thrives on rigorous pre-production debates: ‘Our process involves continuous questioning and playing devil’s advocate to explore unconventional narrative approaches. This thorough preparation has constituted one of the most valuable educational experiences of my career.’
DiCaprio traced his reverence for Scorsese to childhood exposure facilitated by his father, who identified the director and Robert De Niro as artistic benchmarks. Their professional partnership commenced with 2002’s Gangs of New York and has since produced critically acclaimed works including The Aviator, The Departed, and Killers of the Flower Moon.
The duo is currently developing What Happens at Night, an adaptation of Peter Cameron’s novel co-starring Jennifer Lawrence, marking their seventh collaborative endeavor.