At The Playlist, we sure do love a good “What if?” casting situation. Every now and then they pop up and always get our imagination going. And the latest one is something really interesting, as it deals with one of the biggest stars in Hollywood making a decision early on in his career that could have changed everything, as it involved Leonardo DiCaprio and Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Boogie Nights.”
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Speaking on the Smartless podcast, Paul Thomas Anderson was asked if there is truth to the rumor that Leonardo DiCaprio turned down an offer to star in the lead role of “Boogie Nights.” Apparently, not only is it a true story, but it also shows that back in the mid-‘90s, DiCaprio was faced with a decision that would have completely changed his life if he chose differently.
“That is very true, that I asked Leo to be in ‘Boogie Nights,’ and he spent many, many months agonizing and debating about it,” said Anderson. “Ultimately…what I came to realize, about halfway into that long decision-making process, is that he had a choice to make—either to do ‘Titanic’ or to do ‘Boogie Nights,’ and he chose to do ‘Titanic.’ Which, in the long run, catapulted him into this massive worldwide fame, but on the other hand, I think possibly—we laugh about it now—but he regrets missing the experience and doing it.”
Obviously, the good news about this situation is that “Boogie Nights” not only did well without DiCaprio attached, but it helped really launch Anderson’s career into the stratosphere. While it would have been amazing to see DiCaprio in that film, the actor also was given a really difficult choice—take a chance on a relatively unknown filmmaker who is probably on the cusp of breaking out in a big way, or star in the latest James Cameron film that is likely going to be a box office hit?
Ultimately, there wasn’t a wrong choice there, but you have to assume DiCaprio is happy with how it all turned out.