Leonardo DiCaprio has been making headlines in recent months following the release of One Battle After Another. The actor sat down for an interview with TIME after being named its 2025 Entertainer of the Year, where he opened up on the film’s success and its “original” storytelling.
Here is what DiCaprio revealed in his latest conversation about the black comedy thriller.
Leonardo DiCaprio says it’s tough to get ‘truly original story ideas’ like One Battle After Another
Leonardo DiCaprio talked about the “originality” of One Battle After Another, which was released in September 2025, in an interview with TIME.
He stated, “I’ve been thinking a lot about how often there have been truly original story ideas like this.” The Titanic star added how the movie has “no link to anything historical, no past characters, no genre, no vampires, no ghosts, no anything.” “It was somewhat risky for the studio to take this on, and what they’re banking on,” the 51-year-old continued.
The Oscar-winning actor further talked about the director Paul Thomas Anderson, saying, “I think, [it] is the appeal of Paul’s storytelling and the sort of fierce originality of his process.” “It’s about human beings in a world where we all feel stifled to say what we believe or stand for something.” DiCaprio mentioned how it is “because, you know, it’s a scary world out there.”
The seasoned actor showered praises on the film, saying, “I just love that it’s such a conversation piece.” “In my community, people like talking about it, and that’s one of the reasons you make movies,” he added. Further, DiCaprio shared, “At the end of the day, it’s like, ‘Wow, this maybe had a little effect on people.'”
Director Paul Thomas Anderson also praised his leading man. He said, “If you’re the star of the movie, not to mention a very big movie star and a big movie star for a very long time, your behavior informs everything.” The director continued, “His leadership means his presence, his availability, his unfussiness. It’s that simple. There’s no bulls—.”
He then went on to talk about the hardships of shooting the film, saying, “We shot over nine months, over 100 days. If that doesn’t make you cranky, then I don’t know what will, ” The filmmaker added, “So it’s great that we’re all still sort of in love with each other.”
Originally reported by Ritika Singh on ComingSoon.
