Does Leonardo DiCaprio regret missing out on this role due to Titanic? (Photo Credit – Facebook)
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Instead of sketching Kate Winslet like one of his French girls, Leonardo DiCaprio could’ve been rocking gold chains and questionable dance moves as Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights. And if you ask him? He kinda wishes he had.
“My biggest regret is Boogie Nights,” DiCaprio admitted. That’s a wild thing to say about the movie that made him Hollywood’s golden boy. But in 1997, DiCaprio had a choice: Cameron’s unsinkable romance or Anderson’s deep dive into ‘70s debauchery. He picked Titanic. Wahlberg took Boogie Nights. The rest is history.
DiCaprio was already Hollywood’s golden ticket — an Oscar nominee for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and fresh off Romeo + Juliet. Then Titanic happened, turning him into a full-blown heartthrob, whether he liked it or not. Meanwhile, Wahlberg was strutting through Boogie Nights, launching himself into the Hollywood big leagues.
Anderson’s cult classic followed Wahlberg’s Eddie Adams, a naive kid turned adult film sensation, with Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, and Philip Seymour Hoffman along for the wild ride. Wahlberg’s fearless performance cemented his place in Hollywood. Even Anderson weighed in on what could have been, saying, “There was no Leo vs. Mark because Leo decided not to do the film.”
DiCaprio later admitted he hadn’t fully grasped Anderson’s genius back then. “I’m a huge fan of Paul Thomas Anderson, but the first time I met him for that role, I hadn’t really seen much of his previous work. Now I love that movie.” Ouch. A little late for that epiphany.
Of course, Titanic wasn’t exactly a career-killer. It became the highest-grossing film ever (at the time), made DiCaprio a global icon, and basically defined an entire generation’s definition of romance. And fun fact? Paul Rudd might have nudged him into it.
Rudd, whose father was a Titanic historian, recalled a conversation with DiCaprio after they wrapped Romeo + Juliet. “He said, ‘I just got offered this movie, and it’s a big movie.’” Seeing Leo hesitate, Rudd hyped it up: “I remember saying, ‘You should do it.’” Did that actually seal the deal? Probably not, but it’s fun to imagine Ant-Man shaping Hollywood history.
So, what if? What if Leo had gone full Diggler instead of full Dawson? Would Wahlberg have been the one freezing in the Atlantic? Would DiCaprio have jumped straight into gritty dramas instead of spending years dodging Titanic fans asking why Jack didn’t just climb on the damn door? We’ll never know. But even with an Oscar in his pocket and a legendary career, Leo still wonders about the one that got away.
