Leonardo Dicaprio Opens up About His Favorite Martin Scorsese Film
Leonardo DiCaprio has built a career full of memorable roles, but his work with Martin Scorsese has always stood out. Their partnership began with the 2002 historical epic Gangs of New York, and since then, they’ve made several films that are now a big part of pop culture.
DiCaprio returned to work with Scorsese in hits like The Departed, Shutter Island, and The Wolf of Wall Street. Their most recent project, Killers of the Flower Moon, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and stars DiCaprio alongside Robert De Niro.
The film tells the story of the 1920s murders in Oklahoma’s Osage Nation and has been widely praised, showing that their creative partnership remains one of the most enduring in Hollywood.
DiCaprio’s admiration for Scorsese goes back to his teenage years. In an interview, he revealed that Taxi Driver was the film that “really moved me the most.” He said he first watched it when he was 15 and felt a strong connection to Travis Bickle, the troubled main character.
“I felt incredible empathy toward the character, only to feel deceived by his eventual actions,” DiCaprio explained. The film stayed with him because it made him relate to someone before suddenly making him question who that person really was.
DiCaprio calls Taxi Driver “really the greatest independent film ever made.” Scorsese himself credits part of the film’s greatness to Paul Schrader’s screenplay. The script was given to Scorsese by Brian De Palma and was inspired by a rough time in Schrader’s life, when he was living in his car and suffering from a severe stomach ulcer.
Even now, DiCaprio and Scorsese’s collaboration shows no signs of slowing down. DiCaprio is currently in Prague preparing for their next movie, What Happens at Night, a psychological thriller based on Peter Cameron’s novel. The film will feature a star-studded cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Mads Mikkelsen, and Patricia Clarkson.
Outside of his work with Scorsese, DiCaprio is also having a strong awards season. His performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s political thriller One Battle After Another has already won big at the BAFTAs, taking home six awards, including Best Film, and DiCaprio has earned a Best Actor nomination for the Oscars.
The film, loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland, also stars Sean Penn and Regina Hall and will start streaming on major platforms soon. Looking further ahead, DiCaprio is set to star in Michael Mann’s highly anticipated Heat 2.
The crime epic will act as both a prequel and a sequel to the 1995 original, with DiCaprio reportedly starring alongside Christian Bale. Filming is scheduled to begin in August, making it one of the most exciting casting pairings in recent years.
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