Leonardo DiCaprio's 2025 Career Update Is Bittersweet For Fans

Leonardo DiCaprio is as big a movie star as there is in Hollywood today, but the actor is slowing down in the 2020s, which is both a good and bad thing. DiCaprio has consistently been a top star on the big screen since the ’90s, including playing the leading man in тιтanic, one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.

After the success of тιтanic, DiCaprio honed his craft and delivered powerhouse performance after powerhouse performance. He appeared in great films like Gangs of New York, Catch Me If You Can, Inception, and Best Picture winner The Departed, among others.

It has reached a point where, if a movie features Leonardo DiCaprio, it’s basically a must-see project. Now that DiCaprio is 50, though, he seems to be taking on fewer roles and slowing down. While that’s disappointing to consider, there’s also a few good things about it.

Leonardo DiCaprio Is Making Fewer Films In The 2020s

Lily Gladstone as Mollie Burkhart and Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart in Killers of the Flower Moon.

As noted, Leonardo DiCaprio was kind of everywhere when it came to big films in the 2000s and 2010s. Since the decade turned to the 2020s, though, DiCaprio has slowed his pace. In the six or so years since 2020, DiCaprio has only starred in three movies.

In 2021, he was part of Netflix’s political satire Don’t Look Up, before leading 2023’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which was a hit for Apple TV+. In 2025, DiCaprio may have topped them all by starring in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, which has received widespread acclaim.

While doing press for One Battle After Another, DiCaprio spoke with People about his career. He admitted that he’s slowing down and taking fewer roles but added that he has no plans to quit acting. DiCaprio admitted that he’s a huge fan of Anderson’s work and discussed what matters to him at this point in his career.

“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.”

Judging by the interview with People, Leonardo DiCaprio seems much more invested in making sure that the movies he’s working on in his 50s are special. He wants to make films that matter and are important to him, rather than just making one for a paycheck.

Leonardo DiCaprio Movies Are Going To Become Event Cinema

Bob holding a rifle in one hand and the authenticator in another in One Battle After Another

Obviously, it’s disappointing to get less and less from Leonardo DiCaprio as time goes on. However, the fact that his films are now few and far between means that when we do get one, it becomes an event. It has become a case where you have to see the newest DiCaprio movie since we might not have too many left.

Don’t Look Up quickly became one of the most-watched movies in Netflix history, while Killers of the Flower Moon was a huge hit for Apple TV+. While the premise, critical praise, and talented ensemble casts played a big role, simply seeing DiCaprio do what he does best was a major selling point.

That’s even more true for his latest project, One Battle After Another. Unlike those films, this one hit theaters and, through word of mouth, has become an event. People are flocking to theaters, making the movie the highest-grossing in Paul Thomas Anderson’s illustrious career.

This is a trend that’s likely to continue. As we get fewer DiCaprio movies, there’s going to be a demand to see the actor as often as we can before he retires. At a time when people say the era of “movie stars” is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, DiCaprio stands out. He’s someone audiences kind of have to see, regardless of the project.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s Selective Approach To Future Projects Suggests His Best Movies Are Still To Come

Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence sitting on the couch in Don't Look Up — Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence sitting on the couch in Don’t Look Up

The best news about Leonardo DiCaprio being more selective with his movie roles in his 50s is that it means we could be getting the best of DiCaprio. It helps that with age, it seems like he’s only getting better.

Many believe DiCaprio should’ve won an Oscar for The Wolf of Wall Street, and he did win one for The Revenant. His last performance of the 2010s, in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is in the conversation for the best work of his storied career.

In the 2020s, DiCaprio was one of the consistently praised aspects of the very divisive Don’t Look Up and earned a Golden Globe nomination for Killers of the Flower Moon. It’s early, but it looks like One Battle After Another is a safe bet for a Best Picture nomination and for DiCaprio to get another Oscar nod.

If DiCaprio continues this trend, it could mean that the 2020s will be his greatest decade. He is choosing quality over quanтιтy and it makes each performance more special. Since he’s pᴀssionate about the roles, it means we’re getting the best of DiCaprio.

So far in the 2020s, DiCaprio has starred in two movies that were up for Best Picture and a third that’s very likely to get a nomination. It’s rare to see anyone with that kind of resume over a five year span. The 2020s are shaping up to be the best Leonardo DiCaprio we’ve ever seen, which is saying something.