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Leonardo DiCaprio revealed why he doesn't want to direct
The actor, 51, shared his thoughts during a conversation with Martin Scorsese during TIME's A Year in TIME event on Dec. 10
DiCaprio, who has worked with Scorsese on six films to date, also offered a behind-the-scenes peek at their creative process
Leonardo DiCapriodoesn't have plans to transition to directing any time soon.
The star sat down for a discussion with acclaimed filmmakerMartin ScorseseduringTIMEmagazine's A Year in TIME event in New York City on Dec. 10. During the conversation, the actor admitted that he doesn't have a desire to direct — and said it's specifically because he feels as though he could never live up to Scorsese's greatness.
"Some people have asked me if I wanted to direct. I'm like, 'I would never want to direct. I could never do anything close to what Martin Scorsese does. Why would I do that?' " DiCaprio, 51, explained.
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TheOne Battle After Anotherstar went on to say that he did, however, wish he had taken a step back during some of his past films and "observed" the filmmaking process in its entirety.
"You play these characters, you try to get into the depth of their soul as much as you possibly can. And I would've loved to be much more of a voyeur … to watch what you (Scorsese) do behind the camera," he said.
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"If I look back on anything, I would've loved to have observed that process behind the camera a lot more,' he added.
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The Oscar winner — who has made six films with Scorsese, 83, to date — went on to describe their unique creative process, noting that they have "months" of prep and discussion before shooting begins.
"That's been our process a lot, I think, working together … the ability to almost havea debate for monthsbefore and lots of questions, and lots of playing devil's advocate about a way to approach things that may not be the most obvious direction," he said.
He added, "We're doing that on the new film that we're doing now, but it's been absolutely one of the most profound learning experiences."
DiCaprio also noted that working with Scorsese has been one the "proudest moments" of his life.
"I grew up watching movies very young — wanting to be an actor," he said. "My father brought me to see Marty's work, along with Mr.[Robert] De Niro's, and said, 'If there's anyone you want to strive to work with in your career, now that you have the capability of doing movies, it's with this gentleman.' So I got to see Marty's work very, very early on."
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DiCaprio and Scorsese first worked together on 2002'sGangs of New York. Since then they have collaborated on films likeThe Aviator,The DepartedandKillers of the Flower Moon.
The pair's seventh movie,What Happens at Night, is currently underway. DiCaprio will star oppositeJennifer Lawrencefor an adaptation of the Peter Cameron novel.
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