Leonardo DiCaprio says his role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another — as a washed-up revolutionary who stumbles around stoned in a bathrobe while trying his best to raise (and ultimately save) his daughter — was just the kind of character he relishes.
“He’s a flawed protagonist, which I love to play,” DiCaprio explained. “The sheer pursuit of never giving up for the person that he loves. That’s his heroism. At the end of the day, he’s just a relentless hound dog that is falling off roofs and getting shocked, but he never gives up.”
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In the film, DiCaprio plays Bob Ferguson, a counterculture radical-turned-pot-addicted recluse living under an alias, whose life is upended when his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti), is abducted by a revenge-driven Army colonel, Steve Lockjaw (Sean Penn). The supporting cast features Benicio del Toro, Teyana Taylor, and Regina Hall.
But for DiCaprio, it wasn’t just the character that drew him in — it was the opportunity to work with Anderson.
During a Q&A following a screening of the film at the Warner Bros. lot this week, DiCaprio called Anderson “a generational talent,” and expressed deep admiration for the filmmaker’s unique creative vision.
“Just the imagination of these worlds where he’s pushing these extremes, the humor, but it’s so topical and holding a mirror to society right now,” the actor said. “This was a movie where I would’ve done anything that Paul asked me to do.”
Teyana Taylor and Leonardo DiCaprio in One Battle After Another Warner Bros. Pictures
The duo worked closely to upend expectations around the character.
“There’s a traditional way to play this character. There’s something that is expected. And I think [Paul] always takes an unexpected route,” DiCaprio said. “That’s what made this so exciting — he’s always twisting things, always pushing you to think differently, to go deeper.”
At its heart, One Battle After Another is a story about a father’s attempt to connect with his daughter, his past, and himself, and DiCaprio reflected on that journey.
“He’s just trying to be a good dad, but he’s failing at every stop,” DiCaprio said. “He doesn’t know how to do it and then his past comes back to sort of haunt him and it was just a fantastic idea. I jumped at the opportunity.”
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