DiCaprio's 'Departed' Dream

Leo Makes A Movie With Nicholson And Wahlberg

(CBS)  Leonardo DiCaprio is a two-time Academy Award nominee, and the Oscar buzz has already started for him again. In his latest movie, "The Departed," he plays a cop reluctantly working undercover in the mob. The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith spoke to DiCaprio about the film, the latest directed by Martin Scorsese.

"It was a departure for Scorsese, I think, too, because he got to do another film about the … mob underworld, but this was also mixed with … counter-intelligence … police department, the FBI, Irish mobsters in Boston, as opposed to Italian guys in New York," he says. "Certainly, my character — I got to play somebody who was constantly in angst, having 24-hour panic attacks, which is something that I never got to do before."

"The Departed" is the latest achievement in a critically and commercially successful career that included DiCaprio's first Oscar nomination at age 19 for "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" and top billing in "Titanic," one of the biggest movies of all time.

It's also his third collaboration with Scorsese, following "Gangs of New York" (2002) and "The Aviator" (2004), both of which were nominated for the best-picture Oscar.

DiCaprio calls Scorsese "a teacher and a mentor to me in every possible way." He says the director has "taught me so much about the history of cinema."

It did not take them long to decide to work together again to make "The Departed."

"We read the script in one day and called each other the next day and said, 'Let's do this,'" recalls the actor. "It was so well-written."

"The Departed" takes place on the streets of south Boston, and with Boston natives Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon as co-stars, DiCaprio knew there was added pressure to be authentic. He spent some time with some people from the area and learned the history of the south Boston gangs.

Among the things he learned about Boston, he says, is that "it's really this sort of microcosm where everyone knows each other's business," adding with a laugh, "It's really a small town. You know? Everyone has stories about everybody else. But mainly it was important to go there and see the streets and see some of the people and some of the real characters that live in that world."

Asked what it was like for him to film scenes with Wahlberg, where their characters were "banging heads," DiCaprio points out that he and Wahlberg have known each other for a long time.

"We did a film called 'Basketball Diaries' together, a long time ago, when I was 18 years old," he recalls. "But the fact that I knew Mark, and I've known Mark for such a long period of time, made it a little bit easier to rough each other up — although he is a big dude, no joke. Much as I tried to work out and … make myself hard-core for this film, that's a solid man."

And what about another star of "The Departed," Jack Nicholson? What was DiCaprio's preconception of Nicholson, and what was the reality?

"I expected everything that he gave, to tell you the truth," DiCaprio says. "I mean, he really gets in there, and he talks to himself, and he really gets into character and doesn't care who's listening or who's watching. You know? And you never, never, never know what to expect with him, because he can (go) off-the-cuff and just say anything or do anything.

"It did instill the fear in you as — I don't want to say as an actor, because you kind of embrace those moments. But in character, it instilled this constant fear in you."

There was a time when DiCaprio said, "My No. 1 priority is to do things that I've been wanting to do for as long as I can remember, to take advantages of the opportunities that I have right now."

Today, DiCaprio says, "I've always wanted to be an actor, and I've … gotten to this great place in my life where I'm able to steer the course of my career. I want to, in whatever way I can, attempt to emulate the heroes that I've had, growing up as a young actor and watching people like Robert De Niro, or people like Jack Nicholson or, you know, James Dean. And seeing these actors work. And that's why I'm in hard-core work mode now."

Told that he sounds humble, DiCaprio laughs and says, "Yeah, I am, 'cause I've seen what's been done before. You know? There's been a lot of unbelievable things done in the world of cinema, and it's really hard to make a good movie, and it's hard to do a good performance. I know that."

DiCaprio may be his own worst competition when awards season comes. He's also sparking Oscar talk for his other film, "Black Diamonds," which opens in December.