Leonardo DiCaprio was absent at the 2026 Actor Awards, formerly known as the SAG Awards. The actor was nominated for his mesmerising performance in One Battle After Another. However, he ended up skipping the prestigious event due to an important reason.
Here’s why Leonardo DiCaprio was absent from 2026 Actor Awards
Leonardo DiCaprio skipped the 2026 Actor Awards due to a professional commitment. According to PEOPLE, the Titanic star was busy shooting for his upcoming film, What Happens at Night, in Europe. The film, also starring Jennifer Lawrence, marks DiCaprio and director Martin Scorsese’s seventh collaboration. It is based on the novel of the same name by Peter Cameron.
In December 2025, DiCaprio and Scorsese shared their filmmaking procedure with Time. The Oscar-winning actorstated that the key element of their working style is debating the films and screenplays “for months.” He noted it as a part of a “cinema education.” The 51-year-old continued, “[It’s] lots of questions and lots of playing devil’s advocate about a way to approach things that may not be the most obvious direction. We’re doing that on the new film that we’re doing now, but it’s been absolutely one of the most profound learning experiences.”
The Shutter Island director also shared his thoughts. He said, “We have this ability to collaborate together, and it’s based on trust and love. We go to places sometimes that at times feel almost impossible.” The 83-year-old further added, “[Trust] was so intrinsic of who we are together as collaborators that we tried everything, and some of the most extraordinary things came from your enthusiasm.”
DiCaprio also said, “Marty’s very obsessive as a filmmaker; he thinks about every single detail. Over the years, I’ve learned the times when there’s a malleability and ways to pivot in the storyline, but I’ve also learned the times where you have a specific shot list.” The legendary actor noted, “I could never do anything close to what Martin Scorsese does. Why would I do that? But if I look back on anything, I would’ve loved to have observed that process behind the camera a lot more.”
