Earlier this week, the full trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson’s upcoming film One Battle After Another was released. While movie lovers were buzzing about the film itself, another conversation took center stage, and that was Leonardo DiCaprio is turning into Jack Nicholson.
In the film, DiCaprio plays Bob Ferguson, a rebel searching for his daughter in a politically charged 1980s California. With a mix of drama, suspense, and vintage grit, One Battle After Another feels like the kind of film Nicholson would’ve owned in his prime. Judging by the trailer, DiCaprio’s intense performance might just be proof that he’s slowly morphing into Hollywood’s favorite wild card.
How is Leonardo DiCaprio turning into Jack Nicholson?
I hadn’t really seen the “middle aged Leo kind of looks like Jack Nicholson” vibes people have talked about before this but yeah, I absolutely see it in this trailer https://t.co/QhnUOBzxEL pic.twitter.com/lrPN6lN9hW
— Will Mavity (@mavericksmovies) March 27, 2025
DiCaprio’s latest roles carry an energy that feels straight out of Nicholson’s playbook; they are intense, unpredictable, and effortlessly cool. His performances in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Don’t Look Up had hints of that signature madness Nicholson perfected in films like The Shining and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Then, he has the same expressive eyebrows, mischievous grin, and even attitude. It’s almost as if he’s stepping into Nicholson’s shoes, whether he realizes it or not. Hollywood has seen many great actors, but only a few of them have that enduring but chaotic charm that makes them unforgettable, like these two.
The Leonardo DiCaprio-Jack Nicholson comparisons go way back
This isn’t the first time people have drawn connections between the two actors. The comparisons started more than a decade ago when DiCaprio’s face began changing with age, and his infamous eyebrows took on a life of their own. Back in 2013, during the Django Unchained press tour in Japan, DiCaprio even pulled off a flawless Nicholson impression, complete with eyebrow raises that had fans losing their minds.
The clip went viral, and since then, the “Leo is the new Jack” theory has only grown stronger. Media outlets have also joined in the joke for a while now, and they have pointed out how DiCaprio’s expressions, voice, and even his off-screen behavior mirror Nicholson’s younger days. From their status as Hollywood heartthrobs to their shared reputation as charming troublemakers, the resemblance is impossible to ignore.