Killers of the Flower Moon star Leonardo DiCaprio has called the film’s director, Martin Scorsese, a “national treasure” and also labelled Robert De Niro as his “cinematic father figure”.

DiCaprio has now worked with Scorsese on six films. Their first movie was 2002’s Gangs of New York, which started their two-decade partnership. Notably, DiCaprio also starred in The Wolf of Wall Street, Shutter Island and The Departed.

Through his work with Scorsese, DiCaprio has also acted alongside Robert De Niro, and described the two elder statesman of Hollywood as the “great duo” who are idolised by actors of his age.

DiCaprio told Entertainment Tonight of De Niro: “It’s hard to articulate in a short time other than saying he’s been very much a cinematic father figure to me, much like Mr. De Niro has. I’ve looked up to them as the great duo of my generation as far as cinematic achievements are concerned.”

“All of my actor friends and I have just studied their work and their films together, so to be able to do six films now with Marty and then 30 years later, after my first starring role, getting to do a collaboration with the three of them was kind of mind-blowing,” he continued.

DiCaprio also said of Scorsese: “As far as Marty is concerned, what can one even say about him besides the fact he’s truly a national treasure. And he’s still continuing to make daring, independent films even though they’re massive in budget. He is a seminal artist of this entire era of cinematic history, and I can’t begin to articulate how much I’ve learned from him.”

Meanwhile, Scorsese recently revealed that he and De Niro rolled their eyes when DiCaprio improvised on the set of Killers of the Flower Moon. According to the director, DiCaprio was constantly embroiled in set discussions or getting involved with “endless, endless, endless” improvisation, which didn’t sit well with him or De Niro.

Scorsese remarked: “Then Bob didn’t want to talk. 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.’”

In a four-and-a-half-star review of Killers of the Flower Moon, Far Out wrote: “As expected of Scorsese, every shot is perfectly crafted and brings the nature of the true-crime narrative to new cinematic heights. At three and a half hours long, Killers of the Flower Moon is utterly captivating, sensitive in its approach and an essential work in chronicling the power that the United States would eventually become.”