Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio
Martin Scorsese has credited his long-time collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio with reigniting his passion for filmmaking..
The legendary director felt his "energy" for making movies had hit a roadblock, but his numerous successful collaborations with DiCaprio - who has starred in hits such as 'The Aviator' and 'The Departed', and the upcoming 'The Wolf of Wall Street' - gave him a new vigour.
He told The Hollywood Reporter: "Working together reignited my enthusiasm for making pictures. There's always something more, there's always more to mine with him. He keeps going deeper and deeper.
"By the time we made 'The Aviator', I had made films for, like, 35 years. And it was a matter of, what would I want to spend my time on? And, getting older, what do you have to say? Is it worth spending the time and going through the process? It takes a year-and-a-half to two years of my life each time.
"Leo's enjoyment of the work and the ability to take chances made me excited again. 'Gangs of New York' was a massive project and had been for many, many years, and I was depleted after that. And 'Aviator' was the one where he pulled me back in, and I said, 'Oh yeah, I'm interested.' "
While Scorsese is sceptical about films and their impact on the world, he does feel they can play an important role in culture.
He added: "Like anything else - a book or painting or music - if it stays with you, if it's part of the culture, maybe it can make some headway."
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