EXCLUSIVE: Leonardo DiCaprio Reveals WHY He Felt Sorry For Sean Penn Over One Battle After Another Role, 'More Complex'

Leonardo DiCaprio turns into a desperate father looking to save his daughter from the claws of Sean Penn, in One Battle After Another.

Written by Ayushi Agrawal , Journalist

Published on Sep 19, 2025 | 01:00 PM IST | 56K

One Battle After Another: courtesy of Warner Bros

What unites ex-revolutionaries the best? The arrival of their enemy and potential threat to one of their family members. One Battle After Another takes this very trope with a pinch of action, a big dash of hatred, and a lot of emotion. The Warner Bros. film brings together an ensemble cast composed of Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti.

What is One Battle After Another about?
The story of One Battle After Another follows the happenings that follow the disappearance of Willa Ferguson, Bob's daughter. Played by Chase Infiniti, her character becomes the crux of their fight against a 16-year-old enemy, who resurfaces and brings trouble along. Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio) unites his team of former revolutionaries to take on Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn).

Leonardo DiCaprio showers compliments on Sean Penn, his on-screen foe
Speaking exclusively to Pinkvilla, lead star Leonardo DiCaprio details co-star Sean Penn’s role as "Sean Penn plays Lockjaw, an arch villain who’s treacherous, who does horrific things.” However, it's not all as simple as it seems, the actor reveals, “But he brought a humanity to it and an incredible and unexpected insecurity. Sean was able to pull off this deep feeling of isolation as a threat to his manhood.”

Calling it more than meets the eye, Leonardo DiCaprio adds, “The role is much more complex than just your standard arch villain, in that respect. There are so many amazing details in his performance. I almost felt sorry for the character in a lot of ways."

One Battle After Another is all set to drop across cinemas in India on September 26, 2025. The film has received international recognition and critical praise following its early screenings and is well on its path to becoming a Box Office success.

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