Hollywood Heavyweights Benicio del Toro and Leonardo DiCaprio Detail On-Set Dynamics for Paul Thomas Anderson’s Epic ‘One Battle After Another’

Veteran Actors Share Insights into Their Collaborative Process and Praise Director’s Vision Ahead of September 26 Release.

Hollywood icons Benicio del Toro and Leonardo DiCaprio are gracing the silver screen together for the first time in Paul Thomas Anderson’s highly anticipated drama, One Battle After Another. Both actors recently offered exclusive glimpses into their dynamic on set and their profound admiration for the project during the film’s L.A. premiere and previous industry events.

Del Toro on Collaborating with DiCaprio

At the star-studded L.A. premiere held at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on September 8, Benicio del Toro, 58, openly discussed the experience of finally collaborating with Leonardo DiCaprio. Del Toro revealed to PEOPLE that he had been “admiring” DiCaprio’s work for “decades” and consciously molded his own performance to complement that of his 50-year-old co-star.

“With Leo, you just let him bring the character, and you just… he’s the story,” del Toro explained. “So for me, with Leo, it’s like, work around him and just make sure that we fed the story with my character in it. Getting this chance to work with him was a great experience and a great opportunity for me.”

DiCaprio Praises Director Paul Thomas Anderson

DiCaprio, equally enthusiastic, focused his praise on the film’s acclaimed writer and director, Paul Thomas Anderson. Speaking at the premiere and echoing sentiments from CinemaCon 2025 in April where he teased the film, DiCaprio confessed to being an “obsessive fan” of Anderson’s work since his early viewing of Boogie Nights.

“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,” DiCaprio stated. He emphasized the lasting impact of Anderson’s films, noting, “His films ruminate in my mind, and they’re conversation pieces with my friends. They last. 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 and still question – those are the films that we strive for as an actor. And Paul is the dude of our generation that does them.” He further lauded Anderson’s unique flexibility, stating, “A lot of writer-directors are incredibly rigid, but his ability to work with actors is so unique.”

The Epic Scope of ‘One Battle After Another’

One Battle After Another is described as an “incredibly epic movie” with “such scope and scale” by DiCaprio. The narrative, as per the film’s IMDb synopsis, follows a compelling plot where “a group of former revolutionaries work together to save one of their now-grown daughters.” The film boasts a formidable ensemble cast, including Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, and Regina Hall, alongside its two leading men.

With anticipation building, One Battle After Another is set to captivate audiences when it hits theaters nationwide on September 26.