Before Titanic made Leonardo DiCaprio a global superstar, fellow actor John C. Reilly did everything he could to make the former turn the 1997 blockbuster down.
During the June 3 episode of the “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” podcast, Reilly revealed that he urged DiCaprio to choose 1997’s Boogie Nights instead. In fact, he went so far as to dismiss the James Cameron blockbuster as “a boat that sinks” at the time.
Boogie Nights, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, revolved around a nightclub dishwasher turning into a p*** star. Reilly, who played a supporting character in the movie, said that finding an actor for it was quite difficult because “being in p*** was thought of as taboo.”
Although it ultimately starred Mark Wahlberg as the protagonist, initially, DiCaprio was offered the role. Having worked with the Titanic star in 1993’s What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Reilly believed he could positively make DiCaprio take the job.
“I met him when he was 17. And I was like, ‘Give me the assignment, Paul. I’ll get this guy to do your movie. I’ve known him since [he was] a kid,’” Reilly explained to host Ted Danson.
In an attempt to convince DiCaprio, who was already offered his iconic role in Titanic at the time, Reilly told him, “Listen, Leo, let me tell you something. That movie, Titanic, is about a boat that sinks. Everyone knows the boat sinks. No one’s going to give a s*** about who’s on the boat.”
He also recounted how he talked Anderson up to get DiCaprio to sign the film, telling the latter, “This guy, this director, is going to be one of the most talented film directors going forward, and you should not miss this opportunity.”
However, Reilly did not stop there. When DiCaprio chose to stick to Titanic because his agents thought it’d be “a really big movie,” Reilly told him, “I’m telling you, man. I’m telling you, I wouldn’t give you a bum steer here. It’s about a boat that sinks.”
Despite being shot to stardom with the now widely acclaimed historical romance, DiCaprio regretted his decision, according to Reilly. “I think that all the massive success that came with that movie was both a blessing and a curse. It was just a lot for a young man.”
In 2025, DiCaprio told Anderson in an interview published by Esquire, “My biggest regret is not doing Boogie Nights. It was a profound movie of my generation… It was a masterpiece.” The two finally joined forces for last year’s One Battle After Another.