Leonardo DiCaprio: ‘Watching Robert De Niro was one of the most influential experiences of my life’
Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio are two of the most frequent collaborators of Martin Scorsese. DiCaprio has featured in the likes of The Wolf of Wall Street and The Aviator, while De Niro’s Scorsese-directed efforts are almost endless, including Raging Bull, GoodFellas and Mean Streets.
In a recent interview about Scorsese’s new film Killers of the Flower Moon, DiCaprio noted how much of an influence De Niro has been on his career. “My career was launched by doing This Boy’s Life, auditioning with Bob and then getting the role,” DiCaprio told Deadline.
He continued: “Working with him, watching his professionalism, and the way he created his character was one of the most influential experiences of my life and career. It got me to do all these films with Marty, and now, 30 years later, all of us get to work together and collaborate; it’s such an incredible and special experience for me. Those are my cinematic heroes. It is so very special to me.”
This Boy’s Life is the biographical coming-of-age film in which DiCaprio starred as the author Tobias Wolff, while De Niro portrayed his stepfather, Dwight Hansen. The film was based on Wolff’s memoir of the same name, and DiCaprio feels that he owes his career to it because of the fact he got to see De Niro perform early in his life as an actor.
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