Leonardo DiCaprio Unveils His Dream Director Shortlist for His Next Collaborations
Leonardo DiCaprio is already hunting his next collaborator, telling Jennifer Lawrence on Variety’s Actors on Actors that several elite filmmakers top his bucket list — and that one remains his white whale. The Oscar winner, famed for meticulous choices, teased the directors he most respects and hopes to partner with next.
Leonardo DiCaprio sat down with Jennifer Lawrence for Variety's Actors on Actors and actually named names. He talked about the directors he still wants to work with, the ones he already idolizes, and the near-miss that still bugs him a little: Boogie Nights.
His so-called 'white whales'
When Lawrence asked who he is chasing, DiCaprio called the directors on his wish list his 'white whales.' He did not crown just one, but he did single out a couple in particular. He called Damien Chazelle 'very talented' and praised Michael Mann as 'amazing' — both very much on his radar. And yes, he tipped his hat (again) to longtime favorite Paul Thomas Anderson.
- Damien Chazelle — the filmmaker behind La La Land and Babylon — 'very talented,' per DiCaprio
- Michael Mann — 'amazing,' and clearly someone he wants to team with
- Paul Thomas Anderson — a director DiCaprio has admired for decades, and the one he almost made Boogie Nights with
The Boogie Nights sliding-doors moment
DiCaprio said he and Paul Thomas Anderson nearly worked together on Boogie Nights. Then Titanic happened. The two productions overlapped, and he chose the boat. He added that, in theory, both might have been possible, but the timing just did not line up. Nearly three decades later, he still thinks about it.
In another conversation — this time with Anderson — DiCaprio called Boogie Nights a 'profound movie of his generation' and gave Mark Wahlberg full credit for owning that role. He is not pretending he should have been in it; the opposite, actually.
'I can't imagine anyone but Mark in it. When I finally got to see that movie, I just thought it was a masterpiece. It's ironic that you're the person asking that question [about regrets], but it's true.'
So where does that leave us? DiCaprio still wants to check a couple boxes — Chazelle and Mann chief among them — while Boogie Nights remains the great what-if. If any of those collaborations actually happen, do not be shocked. He is clearly putting the energy out there.