Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese “rolled eyes” at Leonardo DiCaprio on set

Martin Scorsese’s new movie Killers of the Flower Moon is clearly a picture that’s taken some time to get right – and thanks to Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio found this out the hard way.

Scorsese has dropped yet another historical epic that’s set to make cinematic history – including its colossal 3 hour and 26 minute runtime.

The story follows the atrocities committed against the Osage Nation in the 1920s, when it was first discovered that their supposedly “bad” land harbored a wealth of oil underneath it.

Both Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro play the main antagonists in Killers of the Flower Moon, but the journey to perfection wasn’t always straightforward for De Niro and Martin Scorsese.

Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese “rolled eyes” at Leonardo DiCaprio’s improvisation

According to a new interview with the Wall Street Journal, Leonardo DiCaprio’s initial improvisation in scenes caused more than a few eye rolls from Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro.

Scorsese reflected on how Killers of the Flower Moon is the first film to bring his two muses, De Niro and DiCaprio, together. In the Wall Street profile, Scorsese explains how the two actors are the complete opposites of each other, citing that DiCaprio’s improvisations and discussions on set were “endless, endless, endless.”

“Then Bob didn’t want to talk,” Scorsese explained. “Every now and then, Bob and I would look at each other and roll our eyes a little bit. And we’d tell [Leo], ‘You don’t need that dialogue.’”

For Scorsese and De Niro fans, the instance has painted a vivid picture in their heads.

“It’s awesome how Leo works with Marty for like 17 movies but as soon as De Niro moves back on set he’s the uncool kid again,” one X/Twitter user wrote, with another stating, “Lol getting owned by De Niro in 2023. Leo in a blender.”

“This is hilarious. I’m sure it’s said with a smile on his face and he fully respects Leo’s process hope people don’t twist this into something negative,” one user added.

In the same Wall Street Journal profile, Scorsese also states that Paramount backed out of Killers of the Flower Moon after a substantial script change.

“The studio said, ‘We backed the other version, we can’t back this one,’” he confirmed.

Killers of the Flower Moon hits cinemas on October 20. Find out more about it here, and you can see more of our upcoming film coverage below:

Five Nights at Freddy’s | Dune: Part Two | The Marvels | Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes