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Leonardo DiCaprio was previously quoted as saying he regretted not getting to work with Paul Thomas Anderson on Boogie Nights
DiCaprio was offered the lead role in the film after he’d already signed on to star in Titanic
The actor is now explaining why his remarks weren’t about the role, but rather about an opportunity he’s since been able to fulfill
Leonardo DiCaprio doesn’t regret much about the path his career has taken.
In a recent interview with Deadline, the One Battle After Another actor, 51, addressed the idea that not choosing to star in Boogie Nights was his “greatest regret,” DiCaprio explained.
“Well, I think that was my answer to a question in the guise of speaking to [Paul Thomas Anderson], and, without getting too personal about my own life, the question was, ‘What do you regret most?’ We were sitting here talking about movies. It came from the standpoint of just being a fan of his work for so long,” he explained, referencing the remarks he made in Esquire‘s Mavericks of Hollywood issue in August.
Of Boogie Nights, he continued, “I do remember watching that movie and it being just a lightning rod moment for my generation. It was like the arrival of a new cinematic titan, one who was speaking to my generation.”
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Leonardo DiCaprio (left), Mark Wahlberg
“Now, I don’t think anyone could have done a better job than Mark Wahlberg in that movie, so I said it from the perspective of being just a really sincere fan and then watching the way Paul has progressed as a storyteller with these very esoteric, existential films he’s made since then that keep you thinking.”
“Boogie Nights was the launching pad for a new artist. So, it’s less about that specific film and more about wanting to have worked with Paul.”
Wahlberg, 54, famously played Eddie Adams/Dirk Diggler in the 1997 film, but the part was originally offered to DiCaprio, 50, who turned it down as he had already signed on to star in James Cameron‘s epic Titanic.
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Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as Jack and Rose in “Titanic”
Looking back on the decision, DiCaprio said, “No regrets. I mean, fully now in retrospect, I look back at that film and realize the thanks and the appreciation that I have for being a part of it, and to have been able to be in this incredibly fortunate position and not only to have been a part of that movie, but to be able to be the conductor of my own choices since. That has been just the greatest gift.”
“The dilemma for me at that point, was, of course, I would’ve loved to have done both movies, but it just couldn’t happen at that moment. And then, here we are, all these years later and it’s this great sort of reconnection. We’ve gone on these paths together, and then to come back around and be able to collaborate with Paul on this is just amazing,” he continued.
“But yeah, I mean that moment, I don’t know what my ability or my career would’ve been without that film making it possible to be able to steer the course of my own career. So, I’m very thankful.”
Read the original article on People