Leonardo DiCaprio, an actor with nearly four decades of experience and over thirty films, rarely watches his own work. However, he makes an exception for the 2004 film The Aviator, a project he describes as deeply meaningful. In a recent interview with Esquire, the 50-year-old Oscar winner explained why this Martin Scorsese-directed film remains a special part of his career two decades later.
A Long-Standing Passion Project with Martin Scorsese
DiCaprio revealed,
“I rarely watch any of my films, but if I’m being honest, there’s one that I have watched more than others. It’s The Aviator,”
he said.
“That’s simply because it was such a special moment to me.”
He had previously worked with Scorsese on Gangs of New York and had carried a book about Howard Hughes for ten years before bringing the project to the director. DiCaprio originally considered working on the film with Michael Mann but ultimately chose Scorsese after scheduling conflicts.
Portraying Aviation Pioneer Howard Hughes
In The Aviator, DiCaprio depicted Howard Hughes during his pivotal years from 1927 to 1947. The film chronicles Hughes’s rise as an influential film producer and aviation magnate while grappling with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. The cast featured notable performers such as Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn and Kate Beckinsale as Ava Gardner, along with Ian Holm, John C. Reilly, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Gwen Stefani, Kelli Garner, Matt Ross, Willem Dafoe, Alan Alda, and Edward Herrmann.
The narrative is adapted from Charles Higham‘s 1993 non-fiction book Howard Hughes: The Secret Life. The film earned 11 Academy Award nominations at the 77th ceremony, including a Best Actor nod for DiCaprio.
A Transformative Experience Beyond Acting
Reflecting on his involvement, DiCaprio described how working on the film was more than just performing a role.
“I was thirty. It was the first time as an actor I got to feel implicitly part of the production, rather than just an actor hired to play a role. I felt responsible in a whole new way,”
he said. The film marked a turning point in his career, allowing him to become a collaborator in the production process.
“I’ve always felt proud and connected to that film as such a key part of my growing up in this industry and taking on a role of a real collaborator for the first time,”
he added.
Collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson on One Battle After Another
In addition to reflecting on past work, DiCaprio is currently involved in One Battle After Another, his first collaboration with director Paul Thomas Anderson. DiCaprio praised the project and his long-awaited chance to work with Anderson, citing the film’s personal resonance and urgent themes relevant to current times.
Speaking with Anderson, DiCaprio said,
“I know One Battle After Another has been on your desk for a long time,”
and praised the story about a washed-up revolutionary seeking to live a normal life while raising his daughter.
“I’ve been wanting to work with you — Paul — for something like twenty years now, and I loved this idea of the washed-up revolutionary trying to erase his past and disappear and try and live some sort of normal life raising his daughter.”
The Plot and Cast of One Battle After Another
In this action thriller, DiCaprio stars as Bob Ferguson, a former revolutionary hunted by law enforcement led by Sean Penn’s character, Steven Lockjaw. The narrative focuses on Ferguson’s efforts to reunite with ex-revolutionaries after his daughter, played by Chase Infiniti, is taken. The cast also includes Teyana Taylor as Perfidia Beverly Hills, Bob’s former lover and mother of his daughter, as well as Benicio del Toro, Wood Harris, Alana Haim, and Regina Hall.
Perfidia’s character is apprehended before the film’s main events begin, forcing Bob and his daughter Willa to go on the run with assistance from an ally, Sensei Sergio, portrayed by del Toro.
Creative Process and Thematic Depth Behind One Battle After Another
Paul Thomas Anderson revealed that he has been developing the dark comedy for several years, loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon‘s 1990 novel Vineland. Reflecting on the film’s evolution, Anderson said,
“By the time I came to you, four or five years ago, the script was probably 80 percent there,”
but admitted he had not settled on certain details. DiCaprio’s input was pivotal in shaping the story’s dynamics, particularly regarding the daughter’s use of a phone. Anderson added,
“You brought me to the idea that Willa having a phone is a choice to rebel against her father’s wishes. Now that was a good idea. It’s always fun when that happens with a new idea, that immediate shift where you lean into something that you were entirely opposed to. The movie benefited from it.”
DiCaprio engaged with the story’s generational tensions, commenting,
“It’s about the disconnection between generations,”
and explained,
“It’s about how this daughter and father relate to one another, and that we are living in a completely different world than the next generation. We think we understand it, but we don’t. This is how they communicate.”
Upcoming Release and Continued Career Evolution
One Battle After Another is set to premiere in theaters on September 26, marking another important milestone in DiCaprio’s career. From his personal connection to The Aviator to his current work with Anderson, the actor continues to explore complex roles with a deep emotional investment, underscoring his evolution as both an artist and collaborator in film.
