Leonardo DiCaprio reveals passing on this role as his 'biggest regret'
The Oscar-winning actor told Paul Thomas Anderson, the director of the 1997 film "Boogie Nights," his "biggest regret" is not doing that film with Anderson. The actor had a good excuse in that he had already committed to the role of Jack Dawson in "Titanic," which became a blockbuster when it hit theaters the same year.
DiCaprio does star in Anderson's newest film, "One Battle After Another," which hits theaters Sept. 26. A discussion between the two appears in the September issue of Esquire.
What to watch: Over 30 years after its debut, this classic film is dominating streaming
When Anderson, whose other films include "Licorice Pizza" and "Phantom Thread," asked DiCaprio if he had any career regrets, the actor said, according to the Esquire article, "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. 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."
In the film, Wahlberg's role is that of Diggler, who becomes a porn star in the 1970s adult film industry. In a commentary track that appears on the DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases of the film, Anderson said he wanted Wahlberg or DiCaprio to play Diggler after seeing their performances in "The Basketball Diaries," notes movie blog Film School Rejects.
Also in the Esquire interview, DiCaprio, who has been known to date much younger women, told Anderson he felt like he was 32 years old and "turned emotionally 35 last year."
In the upcoming film, "One Battle After Another," DiCaprio plays a one-time revolutionary faced with rescuing his daughter, who has been captured by an alt-right group. Also appearing in the film are Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro.
The film is his and Anderson's first together. "I've been wanting to work with you – Paul – for something like 20 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 told Anderson in their discussion.
Discussing DiCaprio's role in the film, Anderson says, "He is a nice character, someone who starts out wanting to change the world on the far left but gets increasingly cranky and closed off as he gets older."
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
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