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One of the (few) things I liked about Killers of the Flower Moon was that Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone clearly adored one another, and he went out of his way to promote the film with her and really center her in the film’s Oscar campaign. It was something different for Leo, and it feels like in the later stages of his career, he’s doing more work with women and really embracing that. Speaking of, his new film is Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. This is the first time PTA and Leo have worked together, but they’ve known each other professionally for decades. Leo is paired with a young actress, Chase Infiniti, in her first film (Chase plays his character’s daughter). Teyana Taylor also has a role. Well, Leo covers Esquire to promote the film, and the interview was conducted by PTA. It reveals an almost softer, gentler Leo. Some highlights from the piece:

Leo on his regrets: “I’ll say it even though you’re here: My biggest regret is not doing Boogie Nights. It was a profound movie of my generation. I can’t imagine anyone but Mark [Wahlberg] in it. When I finally got to see that movie, I just thought it was a masterpiece. It’s ironic that you’re the person asking that question, but it’s true.”

Why this film & this story: “I know One Battle After Another has been on your desk for a long time. It was a personal story for you in a lot of ways and certainly pertinent to the world that we’re living in right now. But ultimately, wanting to do this movie was pretty simple: I’ve been wanting to work with you—Paul—for something like twenty years now, and I loved this idea of the washed-up revolutionary trying to erase his past and disappear and try and live some sort of normal life raising his daughter.

Living in the pre-smartphone era: “I remember with my little sister and her friends, they asked, “What was it like?” I lived in the days where there was an answering machine, and when you had plans, you either needed to be there on time, or you’d call on a pay phone to check your answering machine to see if they left a message, to see if they were going to be late. And then you’d have to call their answering machine so they could check their answering machine. They were like, “You guys must have never had plans—how did you ever communicate?” There was a lot of waiting around; you had to stick to your word.”

Explaining beepers to the youths: “I tried to explain beepers. If it was stressful, you’d say your number and then 911911911. That means stop whatever you’re doing and call. [Anderson: Well, beepers were generally for drug dealers.] DiCaprio: That’s not true. We all had beepers. All my friends had beepers. They would click it on their jeans and you’d run around—beep beep beep—just look and like, Oh my homey’s calling, “Where are you?”

Turning 50 last year: “Well, it creates a feeling like you have a desire to just be more honest and not waste your time. 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. 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. 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.

Leo on the one movie of his filmography which he can watch at any time: “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.

On Chase Infiniti: “Chase [Infiniti] was incredible. We did an extensive audition process, and there was some point at which you said, “This is the one.” And I said, “Yes, this is the one.” And this was her first movie.

[From Esquire]

PTA also asked him what age he feels like if he didn’t know who old he is, and Leo answered “32.” Which I think is true of most people in their 40s and 50s – you still feel and see yourself as a 30-something. Anyway, I don’t know if it was PTA or Leo just being a softer version of himself these days, but I liked this interview. I totally forgot that he turned down Boogie Nights! And yes, Leo was a wild man in the pre-smartphone era. He and his bros had beepers and they weren’t taking photos or videos of their exploits.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.