Leonardo DiCaprio has revealed the one film he holds closest to his heart, and it’s not the one most fans would expect. In a recent Esquire magazine cover story, the Oscar-winning actor shared that while he “rarely” watches his own work, The Aviator remains an exception.
The 2004 biopic, directed by Martin Scorsese, marked a turning point in his career both professionally and personally. The revelation came during a conversation with filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, who asked DiCaprio, “Do you ever watch any of your old movies?” The Inception star admitted, “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.”
DiCaprio explained why the role of Howard Hughes remains so meaningful to him. “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.”
He revealed that the film’s journey to the screen wasn’t straightforward. “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.”
For DiCaprio, The Aviator was more than just another project — it was the moment he began to see himself as a creative partner in the filmmaking process. “I felt responsible in a whole new way,” he said. “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 the role of a real collaborator for the first time.”
The Howard Hughes biopic went on to receive critical acclaim, earning eleven Academy Award nominations and winning five, including Best Supporting Actress for Cate Blanchett. But for DiCaprio, it’s value goes far beyond accolades. It represents the moment he stepped into a deeper role in shaping the stories he tells on screen — a shift that has defined much of his work in the decades since.