U.S. actor Leonardo DiCaprio gestures to the media upon his arrival at Narita international airport near Tokyo January 17, 2007. Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon

TOKYO? - Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio said on Thursday that director Martin Scorsese deserved to win an Oscar for his new movie, "The Departed", adding it was a "joke" the veteran director still had not been awarded for any of his works.

"It would be wonderful if this film was rewarded, I think it very much deserves it," said DiCaprio, who stars in the crime thriller that won Scorsese a Golden Globe award for best director.

"And I certainly think the man to my left does. It's quite long overdue, almost a practical joke at this point that that hasn't happened," he said, referring to Scorsese who was also attending a news conference ahead of the film's opening in Japan this weekend.

Despite being regarded by many as a master of cinema, Scorsese has never received an Academy Award for a single film, including for such revered works as "Raging Bull" and "Taxi Driver".

In addition to the Golden Globes, the Broadcast Film Critics Association named Scorsese the best director and "The Departed" the best film, raising expectations that he might finally win an Oscar either for best picture or best director.

The director said he did not have any expectations about an Academy Award.

"I learned a long time ago that, with "Mean Streets" and "Taxi Driver", that you can't make a film to get the golden statue. And if you try it doesn't work."