Washington, Dec 15 (UNI) Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio has confirmed he has no plans to step behind the camera, citing his deep admiration for legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese and admitting he could never match the veteran director’s cinematic genius, according to People.
The 51-year-old actor made the remarks during a conversation with Scorsese at the A Year in TIME event in New York City, where they reflected on their long-standing collaboration and creative process.
“Some people have asked me if I wanted 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?’” the 51-year-old actor said, as quoted by People.
While ruling out directing, DiCaprio reflected on his journey as an actor and admitted he sometimes wished he had observed the filmmaking process more closely on earlier projects.
“You play these characters, you try to get into the depths of their soul as much as you possibly can. And I would’ve loved to be much more of a voyeur … to watch what you (Scorsese) do behind the camera,” he said.
“If I look back on anything, I would’ve loved to have observed that process behind the camera a lot more,” he added.
Having worked with Scorsese on six films, DiCaprio also spoke about their unique collaborative process, which involves extensive preparation and in-depth discussions before filming begins.
“That’s been our process a lot, I think, working together … the ability to almost have a debate for months before, lots of questions, lots of playing devil’s advocate about a way to approach things that may not be the most obvious direction,” he said. “We’re doing that on the new film we’re working on now, but it’s been absolutely one of the most profound learning experiences.”
Calling his association with Scorsese one of the proudest achievements of his career, DiCaprio recalled being introduced to the filmmaker’s work at a young age.
“I grew up watching movies very young, wanting to be an actor. My father brought me to see Marty’s work, along with Robert De Niro’s, and said, ‘If there’s anyone you want to strive to work with in your career, now that you have the capability of doing movies, it’s with this gentleman.’ So I got to see Marty’s work very, very early on,” DiCaprio said.
DiCaprio and Scorsese first collaborated on Gangs of New York in 2002 and have since worked together on critically acclaimed films including The Aviator, The Departed, and Killers of the Flower Moon.
Their seventh collaboration, What Happens at Night, is currently in production, with DiCaprio set to star alongside Jennifer Lawrence in the film adaptation of Peter Cameron’s novel, according to People.UNI MI AAB
Leonardo DiCaprio rules out directing, credits Martin Scorsese as his inspiration
