I probably don't have to tell you this, but Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio go back quite a ways. The two stars famously first worked opposite one another in the action/adventure/romance epic Titanic nearly 30 years ago, and they even reunited about a decade after that to make the period drama Revolutionary Road. Given this history, it's hardly surprising that the Academy Award-winning actress knows the Academy Award-winning actor better than most – and one fun thing about the relationship is that she is now thrilled to see people discover how funny he can be thanks to his acclaimed turn in Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another.
Kate Winslet is presently keeping busy doing press for two upcoming movies – namely James Cameron's Avatar: Fire And Ash and her directorial debut, Goodbye June – but during a recent conversation with Access Hollywood, she took a moment to pay a complement to her former co-star. She is a big fan of One Battle After Another (which is stirring up much chatter as we get deeper and deeper into awards season), but what she particularly appreciates is that audiences are getting to see a side of Leonardo DiCaprio that she has been aware of for decades. Said the actress,
Well, what I love the most about One Battle After Another is that people are like 'Oh my god, he's so funny.' And I'm like 'Yes.' I mean, Leo is and has always been one of the funniest people I've ever met in my life. So, I just feel very excited for him that he's able to just enjoy that side of himself in this particular performance, which I think is one of his finest.
Leonardo DiCaprio isn't a novice when it comes to comedy (let's not forget that we are just a few years removed from his turn in director Adam McKay's apocalypse spoof Don't Look Up), and he has had funny moments in mostly serious films (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and Catch Me If You Can are two titles that immediately spring to mind), but he has certainly spent the vast majority of his career focused on drama. After seeing his work in One Battle After Another, however, and after absorbing Winslet's comments, one has to wonder if he's spent too much of his career not respecting one of his great talents as a performer.
While we are used to seeing Leonardo DiCaprio play strong willed characters with rich determination, those aren't descriptors that could be used in discussing his part in Paul Thomas Anderson's loose adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's Vineland. In the film, he plays "Ghetto" Pat Calhoun a.k.a. Bob Ferguson, a former revolutionary living in hiding who is embroiled in chaos when a former rival makes a mission of finding and kidnapping his daughter. While "Bob" is desperate to protect his child, he has also spent years living in a cloud of pot smoke and isn't exactly prepared to meet the moment.
DiCaprio took a lot of inspiration from The Big Lebowski and Jeff Bridges' The Dude in crafting his performance – which certainly isn't a bad call considering that it's one of the funniest movies and turns of all time. Not only does the actor exhibit tremendous comedic timing in One Battle After Another, but he also demonstrates that he has some fantastic physical comedy skills as well.
If you haven't yet seen the new Paul Thomas Anderson film, you should make it a priority – and this is a great week to do so. While the hit 2025 movie is currently available for digital rental/purchase from all major online outlets, it is coming back to IMAX screens this weekend (and as a special bonus, the screenings will include a special preview of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey).
