Johnny Depp just told us he used to be Leonardo DiCaprio’s bully

Johnny Depp is known for his varied, often strange or quirky characters, his frequent collaborations with Tim Burton, and often wearing several scarves. He’s not known, however, for being mean to his costars — yet he admits that, unfortunately, he hasn’t always been the nicest.

In particular, he was kind of a bully to this year’s favorite for the Academy Award for Best Actor for The Revenant, Leonardo DiCaprio.

According to People, Depp talked about filming What’s Eating Gilbert Grape on Thursday, when he received the Maltin Modern Master Award for achievements in the film industry at the 31st annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. He mentioned that he was going through a difficult time, and that 19-year-old DiCaprio sometimes received the brunt of that aggravation.

“It was a hard time for me, that film, for some reason. I don’t know why,” explains Depp, who was in his late 20s in 1993, when they were making the film. Depp says of his relationship to DiCaprio, who played his character’s younger brother: “I tortured him.”

Depp then mentions that DiCaprio constantly talked about video games (which we’ll take as confirmation that one of our favorite actors is, in fact, an adorable nerd). He goes on to say, “I told you it was kind of a dark period. ‘No, I will not give you a drag of my cigarette while you hide from your mother again, Leo,’” he jokes.

Though Depp may not have been the kindest big brother figure to DiCaprio, he does say he always admired the younger actor’s work ethic: “I’d say the absolute truth is that I respect Leo a lot. He worked really hard on that film and spent a lot of time researching. He came to set and he was ready to work hard and all his ducks were in a row.”

Now, we’ll just have to wait until the 28th to see if that dedication and preparedness that has always marked his career finally earns DiCaprio that Oscar he’s been chasing since he filmed he was that 19-year-old pestering Johnny Depp.