Leonardo DiCaprio Shares Why He’ll Never Direct a Film

Plenty of actors have made the leap from starring on screen to calling the shots behind it, but Leonardo DiCaprio isn’t planning to join their ranks. Despite a career spent working with some of the industry’s most respected filmmakers, especially Martin Scorsese, DiCaprio has made it clear he’s not keen to try his hand at directing. He reckons he’d never be able to match the calibre of work Scorsese delivers.

Some people have asked me if I wanted to direct. I’m like, ‘I would never want to direct.’ I could never do anything close to what Martin Scorsese does. Why would I do that?

It’s a fair call, considering Scorsese’s reputation as one of the all-time greats. Still, fans can look forward to seeing DiCaprio and Scorsese team up again for their seventh project together, an adaptation of What Happens at Night.

Missing Out on Scorsese’s Process

While DiCaprio has no plans to direct, he does admit to one regret: not paying closer attention to how Scorsese works behind the scenes. Over the years, he’s been so absorbed in his own roles that he hasn’t really taken the opportunity to watch Scorsese in action as a director.

I’ve been so focused on what I’ve been doing [laughs] as an actor; you make these decisions, you play these characters, you try to get into the depth of their soul as much as you possibly can. I would have loved to be much more of a voyeur, to watch what you do behind the camera

With six films together already under their belts and a seventh on the way, DiCaprio says he’s usually too caught up in his own preparation to observe the director’s craft. Even so, he’s already started getting ready for his next role, even though filming won’t kick off until February next year.

Preparing for Another Round with Scorsese

DiCaprio doesn’t go in for method acting, but he does spend months hashing out his characters with Scorsese. Their process involves plenty of back-and-forth, debating different ways to approach a role. The upcoming Apple film What Happens at Night, which will also feature Jennifer Lawrence, is no exception.

I think [our process of] working together is the ability to almost have a debate for months… lots of questions, lots of playing devil’s advocate about a way to approach things that may not be the most obvious direction. We’re doing that on the new film now, and it’s been absolutely one of the most profound learning experiences.

DiCaprio describes this ongoing discussion as one of the most valuable parts of his work with Scorsese. Whether or not it ever inspires him to step behind the camera himself, punters can expect another strong addition to their shared filmography.

No release date has been set yet for What Happens at Night.