Leonardo DiCaprio’s latest project, Killers of the Flower Moon, will see the actor portray another spine-chilling role. The gripping Western film is helmed by Martin Scorsese, and apart from the Titanic star, Robert De Niro also joins the cast.
With these illustrious names attached to the upcoming movie, fans can already feel the level of anticipation. Based on David Grann’s 2017 non-fiction book, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and The Birth of the FBI, the film is an epic 3.5-hour storytelling of real-life events that happened in Oklahoma in the 1920s.
Leonardo DiCaprio Talks About Working With Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro
The Revenant actor Leonardo DiCaprio previously spoke with Deadline and shared his experience working with Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, whom the actor considers his “cinematic heroes.” This is not the first time the Shutter Island star worked with these legends, but still, he considers himself lucky to be able to continue his working relationship with them. DiCaprio told the outlet:
“My career was launched by doing This Boy’s Life, auditioning with Bob, and then getting the role. Working with him, watching his professionalism and the way he created his character was one of the most influential experiences of my life and career. It got me to do all these films with Marty and now, 30 years later, all of us getting to work together and collaborate, it’s such an incredible and special experience for me. Those are my cinematic heroes. It is so very special to me.”
Being able to collaborate with two of the greatest minds in Hollywood pushed for a lot of changes in the film’s original script. DiCaprio revealed that the first draft did not entirely capture its epic potential and only sounded like a typical detective murder mystery. They wanted to rework the material and tap into the heart of the story. The actor further shared:
“We did a lot of work to try to help Marty do what he does best, which is to tell a very human story. To get to the dark side of the human condition but also understand the complexities. The script is based on an amazing book, but when I spoke with David Grann after we had this idea, he was all for it.”
DiCaprio recalled how the author approved the new concept, believing it was the right avenue to tell the story more compellingly. He added:
“He said that getting into a forensic look at the culture at that time, the clash between white America and the Indigenous people, would be the perfect way to tell the story, if it could be done. I really think we accomplished that.”
The Aviator star noted how it took them years to figure out and unravel the tangles of the narrative, with the biggest challenge of not making the film a mystery but slowly exposing the characters for who they truly are.
Martin Scorsese Loves Working With Leonardo DiCaprio
Martin Scorsese has teamed up with Leonardo DiCaprio several times, such as in Gangs of New York and The Wolf of Wall Street. Like the Oscar-winning star, the famed director has great things to say about DiCaprio. In the same interview with Deadline, Scorsese said:
“What’s great about Leo, and it’s why we work together so often, is, he goes there. He goes to these weird places that are so difficult and convoluted, and through the convolution, somehow there’s a clarity that we reach. And usually, it’s in the expression, in his face, in his eyes. I’ve always told him this. He’s a natural film actor.”
With those encouraging words from a legendary filmmaker, DiCaprio certainly feels ecstatic knowing one of his cinematic heroes looked at him with such admiration.
Killers of the Flower Moon will arrive in theaters on October 20, 2023.
Source: Deadline
