Leonardo DiCaprio Had An Annoying Habit On Killers Of The Flower Moon

Adding improv to a film is a bit like adding truffle to a recipe: a little goes a long way. And when you're making a movie with a legendary director like Martin Scorsese, the script likely doesn't need any creative seasoning at all. Leonardo DiCaprio found this out on the set of "Killers of the Flower Moon," in which he plays brainless criminal Ernest Burkhart. 

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal profile, Scorsese recalled that he found himself side-eyeing DiCaprio's attempts to improve upon the great script from himself and co-writer Eric Roth more than once on set. "Every now and then, Bob and I would look at each other and roll our eyes a little bit," the filmmaker said, referencing DiCaprio's co-star Robert De Niro. "And we'd tell [DiCaprio], 'You don't need that dialogue.'" 

This anecdote is extremely funny for a few reasons, including the fact that it feels very in line with the characters the actors play in the film: De Niro is the assured mastermind to DiCaprio's oft-berated underling. There's also just something entertaining about the idea that one of the best actors in the world and one of the best directors in the world called out another undeniably phenomenal actor for apparently being a try-hard. Elsewhere in the profile, Scorsese admitted that DiCaprio's chattiness on set was "endless, endless, endless," whereas De Niro, by contrast, "didn't want to talk." The two leading men clearly took differing approaches to getting inside the heads of their characters, and both methods paid off – even though Lily Gladstone easily bests them both with an incredible performance as Osage oil country killings survivor Mollie Kyle.

At a press conference ahead of the release of "Killers of the Flower Moon" (via Entertainment Weekly), Scorsese was frank about his differing relationships with each of the two actors. "I found I could work with [Leo] if I talked with him a lot," Scorsese said, noting that the two actors are alike in their fearlessness. "His method for me is a method of constant conversation, constant exploration," the filmmaker continued. "With De Niro, it's a little different. Yes, there's talking, but then there's quiet." 

Lest anyone worry about competition behind the scenes, it's worth noting that DiCaprio and De Niro have been on good terms for decades. "I've known Leo since he was fifteen," De Niro told Entertainment Tonight in 2020. "You think about it, what is it? ... That's 30 years I've known him. That's a long time. He's grown up!" The pair first acted together in the 1993 film "This Boy's Life," in which DiCaprio played future memoirist Tobias Wolff during his tough teen years, and De Niro played Toby's abusive stepdad, Dwight. The pair also worked together in the 1996 drama "Marvin's Room," and De Niro later brought up DiCaprio's name when Scorsese was looking for an actor for "Gangs of New York." 

Even if the pair of elder cinematic statesmen rolled their eyes at the younger actor's penchant for improv, DiCaprio has only good things to say about the making of their newest collaboration. "30 years later now, getting to work with both of them, my two sort of cinematic heroes, and creating this entire story and narrative in these characters was, needless to say, one of the highlights of my entire career and life," he said at a press event for the film (via People).

"Killers of the Flower Moon" is now available on Apple TV+, and you can also buy or rent it from other streaming services.