Leonardo DiCaprio has had the privilege of collaborating with some of the most lauded filmmakers of our time—and it's far from a mere coincidence. The celebrated actor, who is now joining forces with Paul Thomas Anderson for the first time as the lead in the thriller *One Battle After Another*, shared with *The Hollywood Reporter* at the film's Los Angeles premiere on Monday that he attributes his collaborations with top-tier directors to a blend of "luck and, I suppose, the unwavering persistence of making it clear to them that you're eager to work alongside them when the moment is right."
DiCaprio elaborated, "That's been my approach; that's how I crossed paths with Marty [Scorsese] when I was still young. I simply conveyed to him that whenever he was prepared, I'd be ready too. I'm deeply passionate about cinema as an art form; I adore watching classic films, I'm a true cinephile, and it's those exceptional films that truly stand out. There are certain filmmakers who consistently produce such masterpieces—Paul is one of them, Quentin [Tarantino] is another, and Marty is undoubtedly among them. So, I just made sure they knew I was on board and willing whenever they were."
The collaboration with Anderson has been a long time coming, especially since DiCaprio famously declined the role in 1997's *Boogie Nights* due to his prior commitment to *Titanic*. The actor recently admitted that passing on that film was his "biggest regret," but nearly three decades later, the duo has finally united creatively. "Whenever Paul asks, you don't hesitate to work with P.T.A. He's one of the most visionary filmmakers of my era," DiCaprio gushed. "His films continue to captivate me to this day; I still discuss *The Master*, *Boogie Nights*, *There Will Be Blood*, *Magnolia*—these are films that will endure for generations. So, when the chance to work with Paul arose, I leapt at it."
*One Battle After Another* portrays DiCaprio as a washed-up revolutionary living off the radar, who is compelled to spring into action when his daughter goes missing, aided by his fellow former radicals. The film is an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's anarchic 1990 novel *Vineland* and also features a stellar cast including Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti. Hall, who also happens to be Anderson's neighbor, recounted that receiving a call from the filmmaker "was a dream come true; he's one of my all-time favorite directors. It's incredible when you're a huge admirer of someone, and you finally meet them and they're as wonderful as you hoped. But to actually immerse yourself in their creative process, collaborate with them, and be a part of something that contributes to their legacy is simply extraordinary."
*One Battle After Another* is set to grace theaters on September 26.
