Leonardo DiCaprio recently revealed that turning down Boogie Nights has been the biggest regret of his career.
During the earlier years of his career, the Oscar-winning actor was eyed to star in the Paul Thomas Anderson film, but he ended up turning it down to star in Titanic instead, which changed the trajectory of his career and made him a global movie star. Up to this day, fans are still wondering what would have happened if DiCaprio chose to star in Boogie Nights instead.
Why Did Leonardo DiCaprio Regret Turning Down Boogie Nights?
In an interview with Anderson for Esquire, DiCaprio told the director that turning down Boogie Nights is still the biggest regret of his career to this day.
"I’ll say it even though you’re here: My biggest regret is not doing Boogie Nights. It was a profound movie of my generation. I can’t imagine anyone but Mark [Wahlberg] in it," he said.
"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 [about regrets], but it’s true."
DiCaprio was Anderson's top choice to play the role of Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights after seeing The Basketball Diaries. When the actor turned down, he suggested to the director that he should consider casting Wahlberg instead.
Fans have argued that the right trajectory happened since both DiCaprio and Wahlberg managed to have an A-list movie star career, and it's hard to imagine at this point for DiCaprio and Wahlberg not to play their respective iconic roles.
Is Leonardo DiCaprio Finally Working with Paul Thomas Anderson?
After almost 30 years, DiCaprio and Anderson are finally working together in the upcoming film One Battle After Another.
The story follows a group of ex-revolutionaries who reunite to rescue one of their own's daughter when their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years.
"Why did it take us so long?" Anderson asked the actor.
"I know One Battle After Another has been on your desk for a long time. It was a personal story for you in a lot of ways and certainly pertinent to the world that we’re living in right now," DiCaprio responded.
"But 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."
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