Leonardo DiCaprio reveals inspiration from Polish actor known as 'Europe’s James Dean’

During a conversation with Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio and renowned director Martin Scorsese, Polish artist Zbigniew Cybulski was praised for his iconic style and lasting influence on cinema.

Leonardo DiCaprio shared that he drew inspiration from Polish actor Zbigniew Cybulski. During a conversation with Martin Scorsese, Cybulski was compared to „Europe’s James Dean” because of his iconic style and significant impact on cinema.Photo collage: PAP/CAF/AW/Shutterstock

Cybulski, raised in Dzierżoniów, Lower Silesia (a region in southwestern Poland, near the Czech border), became a legendary figure in 1960s Polish cinema.

His tragic death at 39 in a railway accident in Wrocław solidified his status as an icon of the so-called „cinema of moral anxiety.”

Known for his portrayals of rebellious characters, he symbolized the youth defiance against the communist regime, representing a generation’s spirit of resistance.

DiCaprio shares Cybulski’s influence on 'The Departed’ performance

In a conversation on Letterboxd, a social networking platform for film enthusiasts, world-renowned actor Leonardo DiCaprio shared with director Martin Scorsese that Polish actor Zbigniew Cybulski’s character had been an inspiration for him.

DiCaprio specifically praised Cybulski’s performance in Ashes and Diamonds, a 1958 black-and-white drama directed by Andrzej Wajda, revealing that the internal tension of Cybulski’s character influenced his portrayal of Billy Costigan in the 2006 American thriller The Departed.

Zbigniew Cybulski – Europe’s James Dean

Scorsese referred to Cybulski as “the European James Dean” due to his intense style and influence on cinema. His performance as a young patriot fighting the communist regime struck Scorsese deeply, particularly his portrayal of a man struggling in a moral vacuum.

Although he died young, his legacy lives on, with Scorsese often paying homage to him through visual references in his own films.

Cybulski, known for his iconic style, often wore tinted glasses, a look that Martin Scorsese adopted as a tribute in his films, including Mean Streets and on set.

Unlike James Dean, Polish actor left behind a significant body of work, with his greatest film being Ashes and Diamonds, along with standout performances in Night Train (1959) and Innocent Sorcerers (1960), both of which Scorsese hailed as masterpieces of Polish cinema.

In the town of Dzierżoniów, located in southwestern Poland, where Zbigniew Cybulski once learned, a bench commemorating his legacy still stands in front of the local high school.

Source: X/@letterboxd/@AndrzejBolisega

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Radio Poland