Leonardo DiCaprio is one of Hollywood’s most respected actors, known for his commitment to intense roles and collaborations with top directors. Usually, when actors reach his level of fame, fans start wondering if they’ll eventually move behind the camera. But DiCaprio has been clear recently that he has no interest in directing films, and he’s even strengthened that stance in a major public conversation this month. At Time magazine’s A Year in TIME event in New York, Leonardo DiCaprio discussed his career and his long partnership with legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese. He reaffirmed that directing simply isn’t for him. This comment grabbed attention online and in entertainment news because of how firmly he dismissed something many actors eventually consider. Why Leonardo DiCaprio Believes Directing Isn’t for Him When the topic of directing came up onstage, Leonardo DiCaprio didn’t beat around the bush. He said that although people have asked him if he wants to direct, his honest response is that he would never want to take that path. The core reason, he explained, is his deep respect for directors like Martin Scorsese and a belief that he could never do anything close to what they do. For him, directing isn’t just another job it’s a craft he admires too much to take lightly. Years ago, he openly said he felt almost “cursed” to ever step into the director’s role because working with great filmmakers like Scorsese and Alejandro G. Iñárritu showed him how demanding and complex directing really is. What really stood out in this recent talk was how reflective Leonardo DiCaprio was about his own journey. Instead of seeing directing as a next career step, he said his focus has always been deep character work. He said that immersing himself so fully in his acting sometimes meant missing out on watching the filmmaking process as a whole. His comments struck a chord because they came from someone at the height of his career. As he put it, why try to do something when you don’t believe you could do it the way the greats do?