Benicio del Toro discusses working with Leonardo DiCaprio in 'One Battle After Another'

Benicio del Toro has spoken about collaborating with Leonardo DiCaprio on their upcoming film One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The movie is scheduled for release in cinemas on September 26.

Speaking at the Los Angeles premiere on September 8, del Toro explained that he had admired DiCaprio’s work for decades before finally working alongside him.

He noted that much of his own performance in the film was shaped by DiCaprio’s presence. “With Leo, you just let him bring the character, and you just... he’s the story. So for me, it’s like, work around him and just make sure that we fed the story with my character in it,” del Toro said.

He added, “Leo is one of those actors that I’ve been admiring for decades, and I never had a chance to work with. So getting this chance was a great experience and a great opportunity for me.”

DiCaprio also reflected on the project, crediting Anderson as a major influence on his career. “Ever since I met Paul early on and I saw Boogie Nights, I’ve been an obsessive fan of his work, watched all his movies,” he said.

“Awards can come and go. Accolades, box office can come and go, but those pieces of art — that you still talk about and still think about — those are the films that we strive for as an actor. And Paul is the dude of our generation that does them.”

One Battle After Another also stars Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, and Regina Hall. The story follows a group of former revolutionaries who unite to save the now-adult daughter of one of their members.

The film was previously previewed at CinemaCon 2025, where DiCaprio described it as an epic production with significant scope and scale.