Leonardo DiCaprio has been a household name for over 30 years now, ever since gracing the screen with incredible back-to-back acting performances in 1993.
After holding his own in going toe-to toe-with Robert De Niro in This Boy’s Life, he followed up with an Oscar nomination for his performance in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.
Still, despite a lengthy career in television and film, it seems somewhat hard to believe that DiCaprio turned 50-years-old back in November.
Leonardo DiCaprio Turned 50 But Feels ‘Emotionally’ in His 30s
In an exclusive interview for Esquire with director Paul Thomas Anderson—who DiCaprio just worked with for the upcoming One Battle After Another—for the publication’s “Mavericks of Hollywood” issue, the topic of turning 50 surfaced.
When asked if the milestone birthday served as a natural time for reflection, the Killers of the Flower Moon star said that he “turned emotionally thirty-five last year.”
To follow through on that feeling, the two shared the following exchange:
“I’m going to ask you a question, and you’re going to answer as quickly as you can. ‘If you didn’t know how old you are, how old are you right now?'” Anderson asked.
“Thirty-two,” DiCaprio replied.
DiCaprio Gets Reflective About Turning 50
Despite DiCaprio very much leaning into that 30s feel despite having turned 50 roughly 10 months ago, the legendary actor did end up offering some reflective feelings about getting older.
“It [turning 50] creates a feeling like you have a desire to just be more honest and not waste your time,” DiCaprio explained. “I can only imagine how the next few decades are going to progress. I look at my mother, for example, and she just says exactly what she thinks and wastes no time. She spends no time trying to fake it.”
He wasn’t quite finished there, but the idea of DiCaprio—who has always been pretty candid—becoming increasingly blunt in the forthcoming years sounds like a win for his many fans.
“Being more upfront and risking having things fall apart or risk the disagreements or risk going your separate ways from any type of relationship in life—the personal, professional—it’s that you just don’t want to waste your time anymore,” DiCaprio said. “You have to just be much more upfront. It’s almost a responsibility because much more of your life is behind you than it is ahead of you.”
That quote marks the second time in the interview that DiCaprio referred to not wasting time anymore.
And considering how careful the one-time Oscar winner has been about selecting movie projects over a large portion of his acting career, the taking risks aspect also sounds like a breath of fresh air.
Does Leonardo DiCaprio Re-Watch Any of His Own Movies?
Another interesting nugget from the interview with Anderson came in regard to whether or not DiCaprio watches his own movies.
Spoiler alert, he “rarely” watches his own body of work.
However, there is one movie that sticks out, one that he has watched more than a few times, with the film holding a special place in his lengthy career.
“There’s one that I have watched more than others,” DiCaprio shared in reference to The Aviator (2004). “That’s simply because it was such a special moment to me … I’d been toting around a book on Howard Hughes for 10 years. I almost did it with Michael Mann, but there was a conflict and I ended up bringing it to Marty [Scorsese].”
“I’ve always felt proud and connected to that film as such a key part of my growing up in this industry and taking on a role of a real collaborator for the first time,” DiCaprio said.
The Paul Thomas Anderson-directed One Battle After Another starring the now 50-year-old DiCaprio is slated to release on Sept. 26.
That date might be a smart one to throw into the phone calendar, as the movie also stars Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, and Teyana Taylor.
Related: ‘War of the Worlds’ Remake Notches Another Unfortunate Achievement on Rotten Tomatoes
