Leonardo DiCaprio says he would ‘never want to direct’, opens up on bond with Martin Scorsese

WASHINGTON: Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio has said he has no plans to pursue film direction, citing his admiration for legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese and admitting he does not believe he could ever match the veteran director’s cinematic brilliance, according to People.

DiCaprio made the remarks during a conversation with Scorsese at the ‘A Year in TIME’ event held in New York City, where the two discussed their long-standing professional collaboration and creative process.

“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?” DiCaprio, 51, said during the discussion, as quoted by People.

While ruling out directing, the Oscar-winning actor reflected on his journey as a performer and said he sometimes wished he had stepped back on earlier projects to observe the filmmaking process more closely.

“You play these characters, you try to get into the depths of their soul as much as you possibly can. And I would’ve loved to be much more of a voyeur … to watch what you (Scorsese) do behind the camera”, he said. “If I look back on anything, I would’ve loved to have observed that process behind the camera a lot more”, he added, according to People.

Bae Leonardo DiCaprio and Scorsese talking about their partnership during a conversation they had for TIME’s A Year in Time event in NYC, yesterday (Dec. 10)

(credit: Time Magazine on TikTok)#LeonardoDiCaprio#Scorsese#EntertainerOfTheYear pic.twitter.com/jcXCw4qwUs

— Daily Leo DiCaprio (@dailyleodicapri) December 11, 2025

The actor, who has worked with Scorsese in six films so far, also spoke about their distinctive collaboration, highlighting the extensive preparation that goes into their projects well before filming begins.

“That’s been our process a lot, I think, working together … the ability to almost have a debate for months before and lots of questions, and lots of playing devil’s advocate about a way to approach things that may not be the most obvious direction,” he said.

He added, “We’re doing that on the new film that we’re doing now, but it’s been absolutely one of the most profound learning experiences”. Calling his association with Scorsese one of the proudest achievements of his life, DiCaprio recalled being introduced to the filmmaker’s work at a young age.

“I grew up watching movies very young — wanting to be an actor”, he said. “My father brought me to see Marty’s work, along with Mr Robert De Niro’s, and said, ‘If there’s anyone you want to strive to work with in your career, now that you have the capability of doing movies, it’s with this gentleman.’ So I got to see Marty’s work very, very early on,” as quoted by People.

DiCaprio and Scorsese first collaborated on ‘Gangs of New York’ in 2002 and have since worked together on several critically acclaimed films, including ‘The Aviator’, ‘The Departed’, and ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’.

Their seventh collaboration, ‘What Happens at Night’, is currently in production, with DiCaprio set to star alongside Jennifer Lawrence in the film adaptation of Peter Cameron’s novel, according to People. (ANI)