Martin Scorsese explains why he uses Leonardo DiCaprio in so many of his films

Martin Scorsese has revealed why he works with Leonardo DiCaprio so frequently, with the Hollywood actor set to appear in his sixth movie from the legendary director later this year.

Collecting the coveted award, the 48-year-old said: "I have to thank everyone from the very onset of my career... to Mr. Jones [director Michael Caton-Jones] for casting me in my first film to Mr. Scorsese for teaching me so much about the cinematic art form."

And the feelings of respect and admiration are mutual, with the 80-year-old director praising the actor as a ‘natural’.

During a recent interview with Deadline, Scorsese said: “What’s great about Leo, and it’s why we work together so often, is, he goes there.

"He goes to these weird places that are so difficult and convoluted, and through the convolution, somehow there’s a clarity that we reach.

“And usually, it’s in the expression, in his face, in his eyes. I’ve always told him this.

“He’s a natural film actor. I could shoot a close-up of him, he could be thinking of nothing, and I could intercut anything with it, and people will say, ‘Oh, he’s reacting to such and such.’

"It’s the Kuleshov experiment.

“You could do that with him. There’s something in his face that the camera locks into, in his eyes. The slightest movement, we know it.”

He added: “It’s very interesting, what goes on behind the eyes. It’s all there.”

Scorsese says that during a phone conversation with the Taxi Driver star he was told: “I’m working with this young boy. You must work with him sometime.”

He went on: “That was the first time I heard him recommend somebody to me. ‘The kid is really good,’ he said.”