Leonardo DiCaprio’s Advice for Jennifer Lawrence Before Scorsese Collaboration

Leonardo DiCaprio, with years of experience under his belt, offered Jennifer Lawrence some practical tips before she teams up with Martin Scorsese for the first time. During a chat for Variety’s Actors on Actors series, DiCaprio, who’s no stranger to working with the acclaimed director, gave Lawrence a heads-up on what she’s in for with the 83-year-old filmmaker.

Scorsese’s Unique Approach on Set

As Lawrence gears up for her debut collaboration with Scorsese on What Happens at Night, DiCaprio explained that the director has a habit of communicating through film history. He’s known for handing out DVDs loaded with references and even organising screenings just to highlight a single scene or a particular pacing style.

“He’s going to give you a lot of film references,”

DiCaprio noted, mentioning that these often arrive

“in the form of a DVD.”

“And if you don’t have a DVD player, get one…. He’ll have screenings sometimes for just one sequence in a film. If there’s something that he wants you to capture from an old film or the pacing of something, you might have a screening of a whole film just for a specific scene that he wants to see. We might see some Japanese ghost films for reference, just to get the tone of it. You’re going to have an amazing time.”

Reflecting on Past Projects and New Ventures

The conversation also touched on Titanic, upcoming projects like One Battle After Another and Die, My Love, and what it takes to work with Scorsese—mainly patience, curiosity, and a fair bit of trust. For Lawrence, it was a crash course; for DiCaprio, it was second nature.

Lawrence praised DiCaprio’s performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, calling it

“the greatest performance I’ve ever seen,”

though DiCaprio just laughed it off. Their chat wandered through topics like counterculture, parenthood, creative routines, and why comedy lands best when played straight. When Lawrence asked if DiCaprio had watched Titanic again, he replied bluntly,

“No. I haven’t seen it in forever.”

Scorsese’s Influence and Upcoming Film

The pair also discussed Die, My Love, with DiCaprio saying the film reminded him of A Woman Under the Influence. Lawrence shared that Scorsese had read Ariana Harwicz’s novel in his book club and encouraged her to adapt it, telling her,

“You should make this into a movie and star in it.”

She admitted she struggled to see how the book could work on screen until she realised it needed a poetic touch, especially under Lynne Ramsay’s direction. Both actors seem keen to take on projects that push them out of their comfort zones.

DiCaprio and Lawrence Team Up for Scorsese’s Next

While the DVD tip grabbed attention, the real news is that DiCaprio and Lawrence are set to join forces in Scorsese’s adaptation of Peter Cameron’s What Happens at Night. Backed by Apple Original Films and StudioCanal, production is expected to kick off soon. The story follows a married couple travelling through Europe to adopt a child, only to find themselves in a hotel full of odd characters that test their trust and sense of self.

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