Leonardo DiCaprio’s Blunt Warning For Jennifer Lawrence Before She Teams Up With Oscar Winner Martin Scorsese

Leonardo DiCaprio just gave Jennifer Lawrence the starter pack for entering Martin Scorsese world, and yes, it involves physical media. The two sat down for Variety's Actors on Actors, and Leo basically walked her through how Scorsese runs a set: homework via film history, screenings for tone and pacing, and a lot of patience. Lawrence is about to make her first Scorsese movie, so the timing is not subtle.

The Scorsese playbook, according to Leo

DiCaprio has spent decades in Scorsese mode, so his advice came with that well-worn, lived-in energy. The big thing: Scorsese (now 83) speaks in movies. Not just references in conversation, but actual screenings, sometimes for a single beat in a scene. He will pull entire films to show you a rhythm he wants, or a mood he cannot get out of his head that day. Old-school? Extremely. Useful? Absolutely.

"He's going to give you a lot of film references... sometimes in the form of a DVD. If you don't have a DVD player, get one."

DiCaprio added that the screening list can get wonderfully eccentric, like Japanese ghost films just to nail the right tone. The larger point is pretty simple: working with Scorsese means curiosity, patience, and trust in the process. You are there to absorb.

What they talked about beyond the homework

Once they got past the Scorsese survival tips, the conversation turned into two A-listers comparing notes on the stuff they are making now — and what still haunts their past work.

• Lawrence called DiCaprio's performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's 'One Battle After Another' "the greatest performance I've ever seen." He shrugged it off with a laugh.
• On 'Titanic' rewatches, DiCaprio did not hesitate: "No. I haven't seen it in forever."
• They dug into Lawrence's 'Die, My Love.' DiCaprio said it reminded him of 'A Woman Under the Influence,' which is a very specific, very intense touchstone. Lawrence said Scorsese read Ariana Harwicz's novel in his book club and pushed her to adapt it: "You should make this into a movie and star in it." She admitted the breakthrough was realizing it needed a more poetic approach, with Lynne Ramsay guiding that tone.
• The two compared notes on counterculture roots, parenthood, and why the funniest work often plays it straight.

So what are they actually making together?

Here is the headline hiding in the DVD talk: DiCaprio and Lawrence are set to co-star for Scorsese in 'What Happens at Night,' based on Peter Cameron's eerie novel. Apple Original Films and StudioCanal are backing it, with production expected to start soon.

The setup: a married couple crosses Europe to adopt a child and ends up in a strange hotel where every new face seems to test their trust, identity, and grip on reality. It is the kind of quietly unnerving premise Scorsese can turn into a full-body mood piece — and now we know the prep likely includes a stack of reference discs and a few precision screenings to chase the right heartbeat.

Bottom line: Lawrence is stepping into the Scorsese process for the first time; DiCaprio is basically running muscle memory. Both are chasing projects that are more challenging than comfortable, which is exactly where things get interesting.