Leonardo DiCaprio Learned That ‘Film Was the Most Integral Art Form of Our Time’ From Martin Scorsese

Leonardo DiCaprio has made five movies so far with Martin Scorsese, so it’s not surprising to hear the Oscar-winning actor has nothing but praise for his most iconic collaborator behind the camera. Presenting Scorsese with the inaugural Robert Osborne Award at this year’s TCM Classic Film Festival (via Entertainment Weekly), DiCaprio explained how his work with the director made him realize the real importance of film and filmmaking.

“As a young actor standing beside him during the creative process of making a movie, I discovered that just like a painting, a sculpture, music or theater, film was just as essential, relevant, as a matter of fact, the most integral art form of our time,” DiCaprio said. “I felt I could truly own the term artist by working alongside him.”

DiCaprio went on to explain that “no one is more knowledgeable, more committed, or draws more inspiration from the film art” than Scorsese. “There is almost no aspect of his life, creative or personal, where he doesn’t reference the history of movies,” the actor said.

DiCaprio first worked with Scorsese on 2002’s “Gangs of New York” and has earned Oscar nominations for his performances in “The Aviator” and “The Wolf of Wall Street.” “The Departed,” which starred DiCaprio in the lead role, won Scorsese his first Oscar for best director. The film also won best picture.

Scorsese is currently in post-production on his Netflix gangster drama “The Irishman,” but his plan is to return to working with DiCaprio sometime in the future. Scorsese and DiCaprio have two projects in development at the moment, both of which involve serial killers: “The Devil in the White City” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” DiCaprio will next star opposite Brad Pitt in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”