Leonardo DiCaprio on his favourite films, his love of cinema and One Battle After Another

So, I was wondering, could this movie be the quickest you've ever said yes to a project?

Yeah.

I think it's got to be.

What time is it?

Uh, you know, I don't remember that part.

Let's just not nitpick over the password stuff.

Look, this is Bob Ferguson, all right?

You just called my house.

Let's cut the...

I need the rendezvous point.

I mean, I've been such a massive fan of Paul Thomas Anderson's work.

Ever since he started, he creates these incredible worlds that, as a fan, an audience member, you're just enveloped into them.

And I don't know how he comes up with them, but they all seem tactile.

They seem real.

He creates characters that, however flawed, you feel like exist in the real world.

I have a competition in me.

And they just come to life.

I want no one else to succeed.

And, you know, me and my friends just talk about his films decades later, and they resonate with us.

So, you know, when Paul Thomas Anderson calls you to be a part of his filmography, you jump at that opportunity.

You know what freedom is?

No fear.

Just like Tom Cruise.

You say yes.

And what would a typical interaction be post-take with Mr. Anderson?

Post-take?

Post-take.

You know, he's got an incredible detector of BS, as they say.

And I think everyone, there's just an ecosystem on set where everyone's at the top of their game.

So you don't move on unless he feels that you nailed it.

You know, otherwise, you'll reshoot it.

You know, he'll reshoot those sequences.

And oftentimes, you know, he did.

We did some reshoots in this movie.

If he doesn't feel like it fits into the context of the storyline and he didn't accomplish what he wanted to, you go back.

How many takes would be the most takes on one scene?

Hmm.

Depends.

Sometimes very quickly and sometimes a multitude of takes.

But more so than the takes, I just love how flexible he is to new ideas.

And a lot of the actors came on board with a lot of ideas.

But you'll say that one, that one singular idea that can take you on a completely different road trip.

This is the end of the line.

Not for you.

May the forts be with you!

I can tell you that it was your idea to make sure Willa had a secret phone.

Yeah, and that came from the workshops that we did with Chase Infinity, the young actress who stars in the film.

There's a generational gap between us.

I'm living off the grid.

I'm disconnected from anything.

I don't even think Bob has Wi-Fi.

He's watching VHS tapes of, you know, revolutionary films from the past.

And, of course, his daughter's got a secret phone and she betrays him.

And that became a great little, you know, side road that the film went on.

And especially when Benicio came in, too.

I need you, brother.

Sensei.

Sensei, sensei, please.

Courage, Bob.

Courage.

That's it?

Courage.

Yeah.

We took a whole side trip and Paul's very flexible.

Once he hears a good idea, he's willing to change the entire narrative structure.

Sorry.

I didn't ask for this.

That's just how the cards were rolled out for me.

It's not cards.

You don't roll cards.

It's dice.

Dad, what is wrong with you?

This is why I think I love old movies so much.

And it's not just this, but pre-90s, you don't have mobile phones.

And drama can just happen so much easier.

It just feels right.

But I want to give you a massive compliment because I kept thinking after the movie of one of my favorite characters in cinema, the dude.

The dude.

Jeffrey Lebowski.

I am not Mr. Lebowski.

You're Mr. Lebowski.

I'm the dude.

There's some dude here.

There's some dude in there, for sure.

That or his dudeness or a duder or, you know, El Duderino, if you're not into the whole brevity thing.

Were you conscious of his dudeness during the shoot?

The dude, to me, is one of the most iconic performances.

I would never try to duplicate that.

But there's definitely an element of the dude in this character.

I mean, that's my father's favorite character, I think, in cinema history.

Dude here.

It's almost a folk hero element to him.

A late 60s, a keep on trucking sort of element to that.

And Paul set up a character similar to the dude in the sense that, does he make all the right decisions?

No.

But the dude abides.

And in this character, Bob, you know, he makes all the wrong decisions.

He can't even remember the password to get his daughter back.

I have abused drugs and alcohol for the past 30 years, man.

I'm a drug and alcohol lover.

And I cannot remember, for the life of me or the life of my only child, the answer to your question, what time is it?

And you think you're going to have this sort of traditional espionage thriller of a father utilizing his skills from the past to save the day, but he can't get over the first hurdle.

And, you know, his heroism is just moving forward.

God damn it!

Viva la revolution!

And that movie, I quote it without realizing it all the time.

Liam and me, we're going to fuck you up.

Yeah, well, like, that's just your opinion, man.

Yeah, well, you know, that's just like, uh, your opinion, man.

Just tumbles out of me.

Are there movies that you love, that you talk about with your friends, that you have a similar relationship to?

Oh, endless characters.

I was actually thinking about, uh, movies that I watched for this performance.

And another one was, uh, Dog Day Afternoon, uh, Al Pacino.

Hey, freeze!

Nobody move!

Get over there!

The fact that, you know, this guy's, uh, relentless in his pursuit to save the one that he loves, but he doesn't have all the right answers either.

I mean, performances that I've looked at in the past is, there's just too many to,

the first one that comes to mind when I was young was East of Eden, James Dean.

That performance really moved me.

Talk to me, father.

I think I watched that when I was 14, 15 years old.

I gotta know who I am.

I gotta know who I'm like.

I gotta know.

I, yeah, I had a similar thing with Rebel and just going, can I just watch that again?

Mm-hmm.

And my mum's saying, no, it's on TV, so, yeah, that was that.

You, you say one thing, he says another, and everybody changes back again!

What about talking to people like Al Pacino?

We've discussed previously, you may not remember, whilst on the set of Hollywood, you're sitting across from him on a table, you know, in the heart of Hollywood.

The 14-fifths of my Glusky.

What a picture.

What a picture!

Good picture.

That'd be so much fun.

Have you ever had the opportunity to pick the brains of some of the people you looked up to when you were a kid?

Yeah, I have.

I've gotten to meet a lot of incredible people in this industry.

And, you know, I think it's less of picking their brain and just watching what they do, how they approach their work, learning by example when you get to work with them.

What they're going to do is come back with some guys and kill you, which, sure as you're born, they will do, unless I stop them.

Do you want me to stop them?

But off camera, it's just their choices that they've made, their specificity and their courage and going for the unexpected that I've learned the most from.

There's never been anyone that's ever sat me down and said, this is how you approach a character, this is exactly what you do.

You get to work with people of that caliber and you just, you just learn from their process of how they approach characters.

This is something I can't do personally.

And I hope this again comes across as a compliment, but I love it when you're angry.

This was your job, goddammit.

This was your responsibility.

You were meant to check Fisher's background thoroughly.

We are not prepared for this type of violence.

And I think even more than that, I love it when you're frustrated.

Goddammit.

A frustrated Leo on screen is just a delight.

If we go to Hollywood again.

How the fuck was that?

Jesus Christ!

Fuck!

You sort of kicking your way around your trailer.

Goddammit, Rick.

Fucking lines!

Embarrass yourself like that in front of all those goddamn people!

Could you talk to me about scenes like that and how it feels to deliver?

Just letting loose in those scenes.

It's very difficult to make good movies.

Go in there with the best intentions.

You head your bet.

And in this case, I'm very lucky and fortunate to have been able to work with great directors.

And then there's those one moments where you have a singular idea that sort of shapes the narrative of the entire structure of the movie.

And we had a couple on this movie.

And once upon a time in Hollywood, that moment of him not remembering his lines was another one that came from discussions and workshopping with Quentin.

Can we just go back?

Please, can we just cut?

Can we just cut?

No, really.

Just say it.

Really, Sam?

Please.

Maybe he already has.

Maybe he already has.

Goddammit.

All right.

All right.

And then he got to do a little Western within a Western.

He does remember his lines.

He beats himself up like in that trailer moment, which was a lot that was improvised.

And then he comes back like a cowboy ready for the shootout.

And that's the beauty of being able to collaborate with directors that are open to new ideas like that.

That was it.

Really?

That was absolutely fantastic.

I loved it.

And to me, who love cinema, who really care about it, I've heard that there's a real pleasure.

I imagine there's a real pleasure when you get Quentin to laugh during a take.

When has that happened for you?

Because I've uttered to you that you're one of the most underappreciated comic actors out there.

And this film, trust me, battle has about five or six you can't help yourself but laugh moments.

When have you got Quentin to laugh?

When have you got directors?

And more importantly, when have you got the crew to laugh in a take?

That's an interesting question.

I think that the directors have to create that ecosystem for you.

They give you the setup for those characters, and they allow you to sort of fly.

And Paul is like that, too.

Quentin was like that, too.

They're kind of off-camera watching you, waiting for those surprise moments.

But it's in the characters that they write.

It's in the circumstances that they give you as an actor to allow those moments.

And Paul loved to laugh.

Quentin loved to laugh.

But, yeah, there were a few moments, certainly when you're talking about Once Upon a Time, that I remember them being off-camera snickering.

And that's a very rewarding feeling.

I think it must have happened when you decided to use your foot to open that door in the Quaalude scene in Wolf.

There's no way I could be a sound guy and not, like, there's no way.

Surely you heard it then, and is everything okay?

You haven't, you're not still hurting from that?

That sequence, funnily enough, I thought was going to be very short.

And when I did it with Marty, he had 50 shots set up.

And I said, we're working on this for two days of me crawling from the telephone booth to the car.

And he was like, yeah, I'm going to do an overhead shot, side shot.

I'm going to make the stairs bigger.

You know, I want this to be like a dream sequence where you can't get to the car.

And it went on and on and on.

Well, opening the car door, I had in mind that he would crawl across the ground and open the car door and get in the car.

But when I chose the car, I really liked that car that we had.

I forget what it was.

But I realized too late that the door opened up.

So I looked at Leo and I said, what are we going to do?

I said, you still have to open the door.

He says, I'll use my foot.

And if anything, it was just the sheer exhaustion of doing that for hours and hours on end.

Suddenly the foot felt like a good idea.

And suddenly none of the crew were laughing.

They're like, oh, God, we're still doing this.

This is a tough question, but bear with me.

Are there any films in your back catalog that you might view as hidden gems, movies that you are personally really proud of that you'd love more people to see?

Are there any that spring to mind?

I have a film that, you know, you think about films that you've worked on and you,

it's hard to have a detachment from the filmmaking process.

So for me, that one would be The Aviator, I suppose.

Fastest man on the planet.

Hot dog.

I'm so proud of you.

She did it, baby.

Oh, you knew she would.

Oh, she was fine.

She was just fine.

It was just so much thought put into that character.

I got to be a producer for the first time.

I brought it to Scorsese.

We went and recreated the Spruce Goose and the Man Chinese in Canada.

And we, you know, brought the 1920s, 30s, and 40s to life.

I was obsessed with Howard Hughes and that character.

Give me ten more minutes.

Roger that.

Negative.

Howard.

Bring her home.

Okay.

So that one for me is, will always have a special place in my heart.

I was wondering about your mom's archive because you've talked to me about it before.

What have been recent additions?

What have you taken home and gone, okay, can you find a space for this?

I always try to take a specific prop home that relates to my character.

And my mom's a bit of a collector, so she likes to hold on to these things.

So I have no idea where all this stuff is, but she's got it locked up somewhere.

It's awesome that she does it, though.

It's really cool.

Tell me, you know, does she know where the Oscar is, at least?

Yes.

If you were like, I'd put it.

It was at one of these places.

What would you say are your most memorable director's notes?

I know you've been asked this before, and you gave me a good one a few years ago, which is Quentin saying, just effing do it, which is a treat.

But have there been any others that jump into your mind?

I've given this answer before, so I hope it's not boring.

Hit me.

But my first film that I did called This Boy's Life, my first starring role, was opposite De Niro.

I just found out yesterday, Jack, they won't let kids shoot.

You said I could.

I know.

It's not fair.

You just said that I could.

I was on set, you know, being immersed in that environment for the first time, watching De Niro work.

And, you know, I didn't quite have my footing in the world of cinema yet.

And Michael Caden-Jones, the director, to me, in a very tough scene, said to me, pain is temporary, film is forever.

And I said, okay, got it.

And that has resonated with me the most, I think.

He's crazy, and I'm leaving!

Great, go, finally, about time, about time, go!

No, no, no, don't worry, I'm gone!

That's a seminal age, too, you know?

It's a very important time when you're first starting out.

So that was the first solid piece of advice.

And it's just tattooed in there forever.

Are there particular films that you think you've watched the most in your entire life?

Films that feel the most immortal to you?

In cinema history?

Ooh, God, what have I watched over and over again?

Not necessarily my favorite films.

I've watched Bicycle Thieves over and over again.

2001, Space Odyssey, over and over again.

Open the pod bay doors, Hal.

I'm sorry, Dave.

I'm afraid I can't do that.

Tokyo Story Vertigo.

I've watched The Big Lebowski over and over again.

My guy.

The dude abides.

Goodfellas about a thousand times.

Taxi Driver hundreds of times.

I mean, the list goes on and on.

Which leads me to the most impossible question of all.

What is it about the medium?

What is it about cinema that we love so much?

Because to me, a big part of it is concentration.

I'm there.

I'm focused.

There's sound.

There's vision.

We're enjoying it together.

There's the community aspect.

But it's engagement.

Could you add to that?

Because otherwise, I'll waffle forever.

It's the communal act of being with other people in the theater as well.

This is what the people want.

Like I said, it's very hard to make a good movie.

But it's very hard to connect an audience and put them in a set of circumstances where they have empathy for a character or they're on that journey.

And the communal experience of going to see a movie with other people allows you to laugh at certain areas that may seem uncomfortable.

Other people may see the comedy in that.

Gentlemen, you had my curiosity.

But now you have my attention.

They may be, you know, connected to the characters in a way that you didn't see the first time around or didn't experience in that moment.

Which would be worse?

To live as a monster or to die as a good man.

I need you here.

I am right here.

And it's one of the most immersive art forms there is.

Something, isn't it?

Yes, it is.

I, I, uh, like I said, I got to do my first movie and I sat home and went to theaters and watched movies for a year straight.

And there ain't no better art form out there.

And I, and I hope, uh, I hope it stays alive.

That was the best acting I've ever seen in my whole life.

Thank you.

It'll live forever.

I've decided.

I think.

Just don't worry about it.

It's fine.

But honestly, they call it the empathy machine and it feels right.

I like being made uncomfortable.

I want to be challenged.

I think cinema does it better than anything else.

I agree with you.

Um, so here's to that.

And here's to you, sir.

It's an honor and a privilege.

Thank you.

Thank you, my friend.

Thank you.

Truly.

Great interview.

Thank you.

Oh, so kind.

Great questions.

Thanks for watching.

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