Anybody else recognise the major influence De Niro's had over Scorsese's casting choices since Casino? He basically vouched for Di Caprio, and Scorsese's using him now as a kind of muse the same way he did with De Niro in the seventies. I also see Matt Damon in both The Departed and The Good Shepherd; the two are in obvious overlap as regards acting circles and who works for who. It's a neat, little, reliable community of players.

De Niro understands acting and actors better than most, I think, due to him himself being an amazing performer; while everybody else was criticising Leo for his looks in the nineties and saying they were sort of holding him back, De Niro recognised his talent and ability and potential, and is the primary reason, I think, why Scorsese is so keen on working with him. And Leo has proved already I think that he's worth a bit of meat.