Leonardo DiCaprio Frustrated by Margot Robbie’s Success With ‘Barbie’: She’s His ‘Competition’ Now

Leonardo DiCaprio is not on great terms with Margot Robbie these days. Although the former costars were friendly in the past, he’s been pouring cold water on her success with Barbie and moaning that he created a monster, a source exclusively tells Life & Style.

“Margot went from being Leo’s discovery and prodigy 10 years ago in The Wolf of Wall Street to being his biggest direct competition in 2023 and the irony isn’t lost on him,” the insider spills. “As great as Barbie has been for the whole industry with getting people back to movie theaters, that’s not the kind of movie Leo likes to make. He thought it was massively overrated.”

Amid Barbie’s success, Leo, 49, starred in 2023’s Killers of the Flower Moon, directed by Martin Scorsese. “It was especially frustrating after the years of work [they] put into the movie, which got buried and nothing near the credit [Leo] felt it deserved,” the source continues. “So it’s annoying that people are constantly asking him about Barbie.”

Competing with Barbie during awards season was “something Leo never envisioned while he was fighting to get this movie made,” according to the source. “It’s his worst nightmare that Margot, of all people, is behind it.”

Margot’s breakout movie role was in 2013’s The Wolf of Wall Street alongside Leo. They reunited in 2019’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. While promoting the latter film, the A-listers expressed their mutual admiration for each other.

“On Wolf of Wall Street, seeing Margot come in and read that [water-throwing] scene with me, I just knew I was witnessing a dynamic presence in cinema that was about to be,” Leo admitted. “Scorcese and myself were blown away by how much she gave back to the scene, fought back. And we both immediately knew she was going to have an incredible career.”

Margot, 33, added, “I couldn’t believe it happened the first time. Then when I went to work with Leo again it was kind of ridiculous.” In a separate interview, she referred to Leo as an “incredible actor,” and admitted that he’s also a “really awesome” person.

Unfortunately, starring in opposing movies later in their careers has seemingly taken a toll. However, neither movie won big at the Oscars: Killers of the Flower Moon took home no awards, while Barbie only won for Best Original Song. Instead, Oppenheimer dominated the night.

After their busy years, Margot and Leo are both continuing to work. She’s returning to the big screen in 2025 as the star of A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, which is currently filming, while also continuing to work as a producer.

“Everyone’s like, ‘Are you having a break?’” she said. “And I’m like, ‘You do know I’m a producer, right? We don’t get a break. I also think everyone’s probably sick of the sight of me for now. I should probably disappear from screens for a while. Honestly, if I did another movie too soon, people would say, ‘Her again? We just did a whole summer with her. We’re over it.’”

Meanwhile, Leo will star in the untitled upcoming Paul Anderson movie.