How Leonardo DiCaprio is Using a Hitchcock Classic to Prepare for His Next Scorsese Film

It’s no secret that the actor-director duo of Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese is one of the most iconic in modern cinema. The duo pumps out great moves together in a way that actually feels nostalgic for the old days.

From The Aviator to The Wolf of Wall Street, their collaborations have consistently produced classics.

Now, with their eighth film, What Happens at Night, on the horizon, we're getting a tantalizing glimpse into their creative process.

And apparently it involves a healthy dose of Alfred Hitchcock. And we love Hitchcock on this site. From his best movies to the ones he never released.

So this seems right up our alley!

Let's dive in.

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The 'Vertigo' Connection

According to reports, DiCaprio is immersing himself in Hitchcock's 1958 masterpiece, Vertigo, to prepare for his role in the upcoming film. That probably means dissecting a lot of red and green colors and their meanings.

So, what's the connection?

What Happens at Night follows an American couple who travel to a European town to adopt a baby. They check into a nearly deserted hotel during a snowstorm. The hotel is full of interesting and mysterious people, like a flamboyant singer, a corrupt businessman, and a magnetic faith healer. As they fight to bring their child home, the world around them unravels, and so does their psyches.

You can see how this psychological thriller would have a lot in common with Vertigo.

For those unfamiliar with Vertigo, the film stars James Stewart as a detective who becomes dangerously obsessed with a woman he's hired to follow. This theme of obsession and the blurring lines between reality and illusion appears to be at the heart of DiCaprio's character in the new film.

DiCaprio was recently a guest on The Big Picture podcast and said how Scorsese told him to rewatch Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo to prepare for the movie together.

He said:

I’m working on a film where [“Vertigo”] is a reference point. Had a conversation with Marty about it. Any time you get to see and talk movies with him it’s a religious experience […] is she a ghost, or is she not a ghost? Is she there? Is he a ghost? So yeah, there’s something we’re working on that’s a reference to that.

A Lesson for Filmmakers: Be Prepared

This peek into DiCaprio's preparation process offers a valuable lesson for all of us. I think watching old movies and seeing how people have cracked ideas that came before us is really smart and a tool more people should use.

• Doing Your Homework: Great performances don't just happen. They're the result of meticulous research and preparation. DiCaprio isn't just reading the script; he's steeping himself in the cinematic language of a master to inform his own work. If you want to learn about research, we can help you with that.
• Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Don't be afraid to borrow from the best. By studying the work of filmmakers like Hitchcock, you can learn invaluable lessons about storytelling and character development, both of which we have detailed here.

Summing It Up

While details about the film are still under wraps, the combination of Scorsese, DiCaprio, and the influence of Vertigo sounds like a movie made in the lab for me to love.

But we have a while for it to come out. So in the meantime, we can all take a page from DiCaprio's book and revisit some of the classics.

Let me know what you think in the comments.