Leonardo DiCaprio regrets turning down the lead role in ‘Boogie Nights’

Leonardo DiCaprio recently revealed in an interview that the biggest regret of his career was turning down the role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Boogie Nights,’ a film set in the 1970s porn industry. DiCaprio was initially offered the lead role in the 1997 drama but had to decline due to his commitment to James Cameron’s ‘Titanic.’ The role ultimately went to Mark Wahlberg, who would go on to become a key figure in the film’s success. Despite the massive success of ‘Titanic,’ DiCaprio has often thought about ‘Boogie Nights’ as the one that got away. In a discussion with Anderson for Esquire, DiCaprio said, ‘It was a profound movie of my generation,’ acknowledging Wahlberg’s stellar performance while expressing his admiration for the film as a masterpiece. The two are now working together on the upcoming action thriller, ‘One Battle After Another,’ after 28 years. In the film, DiCaprio portrays a former revolutionary who must reconcile his past when his daughter goes missing. DiCaprio also reflected on his ‘Titanic’ role in a recent memoir by producer Jon Landau, where Matthew McConaughey’s audition for the role was discussed.