Leonardo DiCaprio’s Secret to Working With Best Directors Is Deceptively Simple

Leonardo DiCaprio has cracked the code to working with the world’s most celebrated directors, and it’s not due to some secret handshake or a Hollywood insider trick. At the Los Angeles premiere of his movie with Paul Thomas Anderson, titled One Battle After Another, DiCaprio let us in on his simple trick of working with the top talent! (via The Hollywood Reporter)

Luck, and I guess the perseverance of just letting them know that you want to work with them, someday when the time is right. That’s what I’ve been doing; that’s how I met Marty [Scorsese] when I was young, I just let him know that if he’s ready, I’m ready. 

The Oscar-winning actor spoke about his love for movies and how he would just let the directors “know I’m ready and I’m game if they are.” And he’s done it again with Anderson, so let’s look at their upcoming movie and how DiCaprio has kept reinventing himself all these years! 

Leonardo DiCaprio Continues Top Director Streak with One Battle After Another 

Leonardo DiCaprio has finally teamed up with Paul Thomas Anderson, almost three decades after he passed on Boogie Nights

, to work on Titanic with James Cameron. Though the tragic love saga made DiCaprio’s career, he’s always considered Anderson’s 1997 breakout hit as his “biggest regret.” (via THR). 

The actor considers P.T.A. to be “one of the great visionary filmmakers” of his generation, and now he’s taken on the role of Bob Ferguson in One Battle After Another. The upcoming action thriller features DiCaprio as a washed-up revolutionary whose life spirals into chaos when his daughter goes missing and he embarks on a desperate rescue mission. 

After its premiere in Los Angeles, the first reactions to One Battle After Another are quite promising. Some believe that an Oscar might be in the cards for the much-deserved Anderson, and also Sean Penn for his villainous turn, while DiCaprio is being applauded for lifting the movie’s comedic weight. 

How Leonardo DiCaprio Reinvented His Image with Cinema’s Best Filmmakers

Leonardo DiCaprio's jack sees Rose for the first time in Titanic.
Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic | Credits: Paramount Pictures

When Leonardo DiCaprio rose to superstardom with Titanic, he was the ultimate heartthrob and Hollywood’s golden boy. One would think that he’d forever be typecast in romantic dramas, but the actor wasn’t interested in staying locked in that box. 

He collaborated with the very best directors alive and became the finest actors of our time. DiCaprio starred in six Martin Scorsese films, did a sci-fi feature with Christopher Nolan, and also took the chance to explore his eccentric side with  Quentin Tarantino. 

Here’s an overview of DiCaprio’s top collaborations:

Director Movies
Martin ScorseseGangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street, Killers of the Flower Moon
Christopher NolanInception
Quentin TarantinoDjango Unchained, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Alejandro G. IñárrituThe Revenant
Steven SpielbergCatch Me If You Can
Ridley ScottBody of Lies
James CameronTitanic
Paul Thomas AndersonOne Battle After Another

His Oscar-winning performance came from Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant, but that movie is just the tip of the iceberg in DiCaprio’s vast and respectable career. He’s constantly worked with the industry’s most daring and innovative storyteller, and with One Battle After Another, he continues this tradition! 

So, what do you think about his team-up with Paul Thomas Anderson? Should it have happened sooner, or is this the perfect timing? 

One Battle After Another is set to release in theaters on September 26, 2025.