Leonardo DiCaprio Says He Wishes He’d Learned More From Martin Scorsese Behind the Camera

After more than 20 years of working together, Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese have built one of Hollywood’s most successful actor-director partnerships. But DiCaprio now admits there’s one thing he wishes he had done differently.

Speaking directly to Scorsese at TIME’s “A Year in TIME” event on December 10, DiCaprio said he regrets not spending more time observing how his longtime collaborator works behind the camera.

“One of the only things I could say I would regret about our relationship, if anything, is that I’ve been so focused on what I’ve been doing as an actor,” DiCaprio said. “I would have loved to be much more of a voyeur, to watch what you do behind the camera.”

DiCaprio made it clear this isn’t because he wants to become a director himself. He has repeatedly said he has no interest in directing and doesn’t believe he could ever match Scorsese’s craft. Instead, the actor said his focus has always been on fully inhabiting his characters — making choices, digging into their psychology, and trying to reach the emotional core of each role.

Scorsese responded by praising DiCaprio’s dedication and intensity, noting that he often works alone when designing shots and breaking down scripts. He credited DiCaprio with delivering performances that “at times feel almost impossible” throughout their collaborations.

The pair first teamed up on Gangs of New York, a partnership that would go on to define a major chapter in both of their careers. Their most recent film together, Killers of the Flower Moon, earned 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.

Despite already completing six feature films together, DiCaprio and Scorsese aren’t done. The duo confirmed they are preparing for their seventh collaboration, with filming expected to begin in February. Details about the project remain tightly under wraps.

Earlier this year, their long-discussed adaptation of The Devil in the White City was revived at 20th Century. Based on Erik Larson’s bestselling nonfiction book, the story weaves together the creation of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair under architect Daniel Burnham and the chilling crimes of serial killer H. H. Holmes.

The project has had a long and winding development history. DiCaprio purchased the rights to the book in 2010, Scorsese signed on to direct in 2015, and it was later reworked as a Hulu series in 2019 before being scrapped in 2023.

Now, with another film on the horizon, the partnership between DiCaprio and Scorsese continues — even if the actor wishes he had spent a little more time watching his mentor work from the other side of the lens.