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Leonardo DiCaprio is moving on to the next phase of his life.
The Oscar-winning star, 50, speaks exclusively to PEOPLE at the Hollywood premiere of his new movie One Battle After Another at the Chinese Theatre on Monday, Sept. 8, and explains what this next “chapter” looks like for him.
“I’m slowing down a bit,” the Titanic star says. But fans of the movie legend needn’t worry as he won’t be quitting acting anytime soon; he’ll just be a little pickier about his projects. “When these opportunities come up, I mean, I can’t say no,” he explains of working with writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson on One Battle After Another.
DiCaprio also opened up about why this movie and working with Anderon felt like the “right” role. “I think anytime would’ve been the right time, to be honest,” he notes. “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.”
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“His films ruminate in my mind and they’re conversation pieces with my friends, they last.”
He went on to reflect on what matters to him as he begins his fifties. “Awards can come and go,” he says, “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.”
Last month, the Revenant star was feeling reflective about growing older, and during an interview with Esquire, he admitted that he felt “emotionally” much younger.
When asked, “If you didn’t know how old you are, how old are you right now?” the actor responded, “Thirty-two.” Later, he added, “emotionally 35.” And asked whether turning 50 last year had made him reflect on his life, DiCaprio said, “Well, it creates a feeling like you have a desire to just be more honest and not waste your time.”
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“I can only imagine how the next few decades are going to progress,” he added.
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The star said he looks to his mom, Irmelin, as an “example,” noting how “she just says exactly what she thinks and wastes no time. She spends no time trying to fake it.”
For the Academy Award winner, this means “being more upfront and risking having things fall apart or risk the disagreements or risk going your separate ways from any type of relationship in life — the personal, professional.”
One Battle After Another will be in theaters from Sept. 26
