One Battle After Another interview

In One BattleDiCaprio plays Bob Ferguson, a washed-up former revolutionary, while Del Toro tackles the role of Sergio St. Carlos, the sensei of Willa (Chase Infiniti), Bob’s rebellious teenage daughter. They’re both receiving major Oscar buzz for the latest Paul Thomas Anderson film, which has swept the top prizes at the Gotham Awards, National Board of Review, and various critics’ groups, and also earned the most nominations at the Golden Globes.

“To watch his career and the choices that he’s made have been incredible,” DiCaprio adds about his costar. He addresses how the producers “shut down production and waited” for Del Toro to become available, as he was working on another project at the same time. “Most of my stuff is with Benicio, and I knew I needed to have that trust and that partnership with somebody that I admired as an artist.”

When the two met up on set, their bond was “automatic,” DiCaprio explains. “On day one, I felt like we got this dynamic with Bob and sensei Carlos, and that came from the key fundamental thing that you’re looking for in another actor, which is specificity. He was so specific about who his character was and what he would and wouldn’t do, and that opened up and relaxed me as a partner in that endeavor. That specificity rang true with audiences, I feel. It was an automatic thing that happened between us that didn’t need words.”

“Enough!” Del Toro breaks in with a chuckle after hearing all of those glowing comments. “I could flip that straight to Leo. The thing with Leo was his sense of humor.” Del Toro tells Gold Derby that DiCaprio brings a “truth of reality” on camera, while off camera, he’s incredibly “generous.” “There are not many actors like Leo that have this gift of lighting it up anywhere he goes.

“Like he was saying about me, I’ve admired his work for a long time. This was the right time to bring both experiences together, so one could feed from the other, and vice versa,” Del Toro continues. “That made it really special for me. Sometimes you work with actors, and they might be rigid on what they want to do. One thing about Leo is — and it sounds like a cliché, but it is a fact — he’s going to make you better.”

One Battle After Another marked Infiniti’s first film role, and Del Toro explains that “Leo was there for her, like The Catcher in the Ryeand it shows, it comes across. He does that through and through, with everyone, and I’ve seen that. I’m grateful that he did it with me as well.” Del Toro also celebrates Infiniti’s performance, calling her “super talented” and “amazing.”

Referencing a scene that went viral online, in which Carlos does a backward shimmy after being pulled over for drunk driving, Del Toro admits that he wasn’t going “for the laughter.” “[That moment] came out of the truth,” the says. “I’m amazed that people think that stuff is funny. I’m not trying to be funny. I’m just trying to be like, you know, I’ve had a couple beers, and maybe that little dance at the end comes out of it.”

According to DiCaprio, Bob would not have succeeded in his mission without the sensei’s help. “It’s the old line from Star Wars: ‘Obi-Wan, you’re my only hope,'” he laughs. “[Carlos] is the only person in this chaotic neighborhood, which is being cracked down by military forces that are beyond comprehension, that he can go to, that has a link to his daughter, that he knows will give him guidance. … It just brought such an acute reality to who these men were, and at the heart of it, you just sensed that they’re good people. They’re trying to help each other out, and it says a lot about the world we live in. We need to be good to one another, within our own boundaries and our own limits.”

DiCaprio is a seven-time Oscar nominee, winning Best Actor for The Revenant (2015). Del Toro took home a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Traffic (2000), and was also nominated for 21 Grams (2003). The 2026 Oscars nominations will be announced on Jan. 22.