Leonardo DiCaprio Shares A Role He Passed Up That Became His ‘Biggest Regret’

One of Leonardo DiCaprio’s most iconic roles is when he played Jack Dawson in Titanic, but the star would’ve rather been in something else.

In a new interview, he said his “biggest regret” is doing Titanic for another 1997 movie.

Originally, DiCaprio was offered the role of Dirk Diggler in Paul Thomas Anderson’s iconic 1997 drama Boogie Nights, but ended up choosing Titanic. The role, of course, ended up going to Mark Wahlberg in what is now his most famous performance.

Speaking with Paul Thomas Anderson for Esquire, he shared his thoughts on turning the director down.

“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, but it’s true.”

Boogie Nights centers on Dirk Diggler (Wahlberg), a young nightclub dishwasher in Los Angeles who ends up becoming one of the world’s most famous porn stars thanks to his massive hog. The comedic historical drama is an introspective look at the Golden Age of Porn in the 1970s, and is now considered one of the best films of all time.

Wahlberg, however, also now wishes he’d passed on the role. In 2017, he said, “I just always hope that God is a movie fan and also forgiving, because I’ve made some poor choices in my past. Boogie Nights is up there at the top of the list.”

When pressed further on the issue, he said, “I don’t want to compromise my artistic integrity or choices based on my faith or my family, but I also have other things to consider, and being a little bit older and a little wiser, the idea of having to explain that movie and the reason behind it to my kids is another issue.”

DiCaprio is making up for lost time, though, as he has top billing in Paul Thomas Anderson’s upcoming drama One Battle After Another. The film is based on Thomas Pynchon’s ultra-classic 1990 book Vineland. The postmodern political-satire novel is now often considered one of the greatest works in American literature. It’s PTA’s second time adapting a Pynchon novel, after 2017’s critically acclaimed Inherent Vice.

One Battle After Another premieres in theaters on September 26.