Scorsese and DiCaprio speak onstage during the 2025 A Year In TIME event in New York City on Dec. 10, 2025. Credit - Kevin Mazur—Getty Images for TIME
For Academy Award winners and long-time collaborators Leonardo DiCaprio andMartin Scorsese, a dissection of their creative processes over dinner is no strange occasion. Beyond being filmmaking partners, the two are also friends, with DiCaprio tellingTIME in an interviewthat Scorsese'sWolf of Wall Streetwas one of the "most free and exciting and spontaneous and hilarious film productions I've ever been a part of. I've never seen Martin Scorsese that happy on a set in my life." So it was only natural for Scorsese to join Dicaprio, TIME's 2025 "Entertainer of the Year," in conversation onstage at the "A Year in TIME" event in New York City on Dec. 10.
Leading up to the rollout of TIME's Person of the Year issue, "A Year in TIME" also featured conversations with 2025 "CEO of the Year"Neal Mohanand "Athlete of the Year"A'ja Wilsonas well as a performance by the artists behind "Breakthrough of the Year"KPop Demon Hunters.
Closing the night, DiCaprio and Scorsese reflected on their work, peeled back the curtains on their partnership, and looked forward to their seventh joint project—followingKillers of the Flower Moon,Wolf of Wall Street,Shutter Island,The Departed,The Aviator, andGangs of New York—the ghost storyWhat Happens at Night, which starts filming in February.
DiCaprio, who told TIME that he views acting as a marathon, not a sprint, has built out astoried and enviable filmography, earning seven Oscar nominations and one win. Throughout DiCaprio's career, he has held a special reverence for Scorsese, even thanking the filmmaker during his 2016Best Actor acceptance speech, which honored his performance in the Alejandro González Iñárritu-directedThe Revenant.
DiCaprio told Scorsese that their experiences together have carried into his work with other filmmakers, including most recently Paul Thomas Anderson. Anderson's 2025 filmOne Battle After Another, aloose adaptationof the 1990 novelVinelandthat centered around late 60s radicalism, starred DiCaprio as awashed-up revolutionary. ThefilmandDiCaprio's lead performancehave both become Oscar favorites for next year.
Recalling how his relationship with Scorsese started, DiCaprio said, "At 18 years old, he said to me, 'Hey kid, great job onGilbert Grape,' on the way out of a party." Since then, "our process is something that developed over time."
Working together onGangs of New York, which Scorsese described affectionately as "chaotic," kicked off the duo's partnership. By the time they worked onWolf of Wall Street, which Scorsese said DiCaprio convinced him to do, the two had trusted each other and felt comfortable enough to have debates about the approach and direction of the film. Just like any other intimate relationship, they've learned to understand the other's perspective. "Marty's very obsessive as a filmmaker, he thinks about every single detail," DiCaprio said. "Over the years, I've learned the times when there's a malleability and ways to pivot in the storyline, but I've also learned the times where you have a specific shot list."
"There's going to be specific times that tell you what I need directly. It's gotta be this way," Scorsese explained. "But if you bring life to it, you gotta be open to letting the soul of the picture come through."
And the soul of the movie is different with every story. For example, although bothThe DepartedandThe Wolf of WallStreet explore similar concepts of "moral ground zero," the character's journey, their motivation and what they worship, all influence the final form their story takes.
"Marty said many times that plot is irrelevant to him. He wants to follow the soul of that certain character, and all the plot mechanics or how things work out are sort of secondary," DiCaprio said. Turning to Scorsese, he added: "to see your trust in me through the years to take on these certain characters and sort of follow that dynamic and go with the soul of the character, has been extraordinary."
A Year in TIME was presented by Rolex, American Family Insurance, Serum Institute of India, La Croix, and The Macallan.
Write toCharlotte Hu atcharlotte.hu@time.com.
