Culture news Leonardo DiCaprio can thank this actor: without him he would never have starred in this Martin Scorsese film
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Presentations no longer need to be made. Leonardo DiCaprio has been an essential star in Hollywood since Titanic directed by James Cameron, but he can still thank another internationally renowned actor. Without him, he would never have starred in this Martin Scorsese film. Since then, L. DiCaprio has become a favorite actor for the filmmaker.
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DiCaprio – Scorsese: a fruitful collaboration
In the space of 22 years, Leonardo DiCaprio has appeared in 7 films directed by Martin Scorsese himself. He is for the American filmmaker what Johnny Depp once was to Tim Burton… a must-have. However, this fruitful collaboration led to Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006), Shutter Island (2010), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), The Audition (2015) and more recently Killers of the Flower Moon ( 2023) would probably never have seen the light of day without the providential help of… Robert de Niro.
Robert De Niro, the angel advisor
In 1970, Martin Scorsese discovered the novel Gangs of New York by Herbert Asbury which transcended him, so much so that a burning desire to adapt it into a film was born within him. Unfortunately, it will take him 32 years to make this dream come true. Due to lack of sufficient resources at the time, he is forced to postpone his start of construction again and again without abandoning this project which is particularly close to his heart. The filmmaker behind Taxi Driver had to revise his plans again and again until the end of the 1990s.
Robert De Niro, approached to play Amsterdam, was then too old for the role. He therefore advised Martin Scorsese to propose it to Leonardo DiCaprio, international star since the success of Titanic, who accepted. It must be said that the actor is realizing a childhood dream here. A fan of Taxi Driver – it's his favorite film – he ardently wanted to work with the director. The planets end up aligning. Supported by the presence of L. DiCaprio in the casting, Martin Scorsese obtained the necessary budget to shoot his film.
A decade after The Age of Innocence was released in theaters in 1993, Martin Scorsese offers moviegoers a brutal historical epic about New York in full turmoil and transformation in the 1860s. Gangs of New York, with a comfortable budget of 100 million and supported by a five-star cast including Daniel Day-Lewis, only convinced the press in the same way (73% on RottenTomatoes) and grossed “only” US$193.8 million at the box office. 22 years later, it is a classic of the 7th Art.