Leonardo DiCaprio praises Paul Thomas Anderson: “One of the most unique talents of our time”
Leonardo DiCaprio has heaped praise upon director Paul Thomas Anderson ahead of the release of the pair’s upcoming movie, One Battle After Another.
Last week, the first extensive trailer arrived for the highly anticipated movie, which also stars Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Teyana Taylor, Regina Hall, and Alana Haim alongside Oscar-winner DiCaprio. It’s set for release in cinemas on September 26th, 2025.
In the movie, DiCaprio plays civil rights activist Bob Ferguson who joins forces with an anti-government group that aims to take down a white nationalist group that is led by Sean Penn. One Battle After Another is based on Thomas Pynchon’s 1997 novel, Vineland, but Anderson has chosen to set it in the modern day to give his production a modern twist.
At CinemaCon in Las Vegas on April 1st, DiCaprio took to the stage alongside Hall and Taylor to discuss the movie. “I’ve been wanting to work for Paul for over 20 years now,” DiCaprio shared with those in attendance at CinemaCon before gushing, “He’s one of the most unique talents of our time.”
DiCaprio added, “With this film, he has tapped into something politically and culturally that is brimming beneath our psyche.”
Another reason DiCaprio found working with Anderson thrilling was that the director gifted the cast with an opportunity to “improvise and become our own characters.” As a result of this instinct, DiCaprio said, “His ability to work with actors is so unique and bar none.”
Meanwhile, at the same event, Hall said similarly of working with Anderson: “What was so incredible was how collaborative the process was.”
Warner Bros also unveiled an exclusive clip from One Battle After Another in which DiCaprio’s character angrily says during a fiery phone conversation, “I’m a drug and alcohol lover. I will hunt you down and stick a loaded piece of dynamite in your fucking asshole.”
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