Leonardo DiCaprio Says "The Aviator" Is His Film He's Rewatched The Most

Dan Lalonde
Aug 13
2 min read

What's your favorite Leonardo DiCaprio film?

In an interview for Esquire with director Paul Thomas Anderson to promote their upcoming film 'One Battle After Another,' DiCaprio opened up about his film that he re-watches the most. And no, it's not his scenes with Kirk Cameron in 'Growing Pains' so stop asking.

"I rarely watch any of my films, but if I’m being honest, there’s one that I have watched more than others. It’s The Aviator. That’s simply because it was such a special moment to me. I had worked with Marty [Scorsese] on Gangs of New York, and I’d been toting around a book on Howard Hughes for ten years. I almost did it with Michael Mann, but there was a conflict and I ended up bringing it to Marty. I was thirty. It was the first time as an actor I got to feel implicitly part of the production, rather than just an actor hired to play a role. I felt responsible in a whole new way. 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."

I have read a few Howard Hughes biographies, and I thought he nailed the performance down of Hughes' mental breakdown caused by unrelenting ODC and pain trauma from a serious airplane crash. I'd love to see a sequel focusing on the second half of his life, where he barricaded himself in Las Vegas at the Desert Inn hotel. Hughes would call the TV station he owns late at night and have them rewind scenes of movies that he missed. He also bought a special order of 350 gallons of Baskin-Robbins Banana Nut ice cream that the hotel would famously give away after Hughes decided he liked French Vanilla better.

Is it one of the Academy Awards' great travesties that DiCaprio didn't win an Oscar for 'The Aviator'? Does DiCaprio look at Bill Belichick's girlfriend and go, "Easy mate your over 70." Comment below with your thoughts.