Robert De Niro - Leonardo Dicaprio Was Menacing For De Niro

Leonardo Dicaprio Was Menacing For De Niro

Leonardo DiCaprio tried to impress Robert De Niro by being "menacing".

The 'Inception' actor struggled to know how to make a lasting impression on the legendary actor when he was auditioning for him at the age of 16 before settling on the idea of seeming threatening.

He said: "I was 13 years old when I first saw De Niro onscreen. My dad had taken me to see 'Midnight Run' at the movies. And just before the film started, he pointed to the screen and said, 'You want to watch a great actor? Now that guy is cool!'

"Three years later I was auditioning for 'This Boy's Life', my first film role, and I knew he'd already been cast. So I watched as many as De Niro's movies as I could beforehand. And I asked myself over and over again, 'What is the one quality that De Niro would see In Me that he would respect? And then it came to me, menace."

Discussing his enjoyment of working with director Martin Scorsese - with whom he has collaborated with on four films - Leonardo admits it is because his movies are like "art".

He told FHM magazine: "Working with people like Scorsese and watching classic old films that are really pieces of art, I want to make sure that if I'm going to invest my time and energy into something and give myself to it, I want it to be something that last. I want it to be special and original."