Leonardo DiCaprio Turned Down This "Profound" Movie for 'Titanic', Now It's His Biggest Regret
Almost three decades later, DiCaprio teams up with Paul Thomas Anderson whose hit movie he rejected back in the day.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s career might look like something many actors couldn’t even dream about, but his own ups and downs have always been there too — including a smash hit that DiCaprio regretted not wanting back in the day.
Despite being pretty famous before thanks to several leading roles, the actor did in fact rise to stardom after starring in James Cameron’s romantic drama Titanic set against the backdrop of one of the previous century’s biggest catastrophes.
However, the breakout role didn’t only deprive DiCaprio of normal sleep and outing without paparazzi, but also took him away from becoming the lead in Paul Thomas Anderson’s porn industry drama.
Leonardo DiCaprio Says Not Starring in ‘Boogie Nights’ Is His “Biggest Regret”
It’s been long rumoured that the actor was Anderson’s top choice when it came for casting for Boogie Nights, but DiCaprio turned the role of Dirk Diggler down since he was booked and busy filming Titanic at the same time.
Almost three decades after making the decision, the actor still can’t believe he could’ve done “a profound movie” of his generation.
“I’ll say it even though you’re here: my biggest regret is not doing Boogie Nights. When I finally got to see that movie, I just thought it was a masterpiece. It’s ironic that you’re the person asking that question, but it’s true”, DiCaprio told Anderson during the interview hosted by the latter for a new Esquire profile.
The role eventually went to Mark Wahlberg.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s Next Movie Will Become His First Collab With Leonardo DiCaprio
It might have taken more than twenty years and another movie production to finally meet on a movie set, but it seems like Anderson and DiCaprio’s upcoming collaboration will be just as epic as the director’s Boogie Nights.
As DiCaprio also added while talking about One Battle After Another, he was appealed by the idea of working on something that Anderson has been elaborating for around twenty years.
“Ultimately, wanting to do this movie was pretty simple: I’ve been wanting to work with you—Paul—for something like twenty years now, and I loved this idea of the washed-up revolutionary trying to erase his past and disappear and try and live some sort of normal life raising his daughter”, DiCaprio said.
One Battle After Another is premiering at the Venice International Film Festival in September, later arriving in theatres worldwide.
