Leonardo DiCaprio has a legendary film career, but even legends have regrets. In a recent interview for Esquire, conducted by none other than Paul Thomas Anderson, the Oscar-winning actor revealed the one role he wishes he hadn’t passed up nearly 30 years ago… Eddie Adams in Boogie Nights.
“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 [about regrets], but it’s true.”
Anderson had DiCaprio in mind for the role after being impressed by his performance in The Basketball Diaries. But DiCaprio was already committed to Titanic, the role that catapulted him into superstardom.
Interestingly, he recommended Mark Wahlberg, his Basketball Diaries co-star, to Anderson as a replacement. The gamble paid off, but DiCaprio has clearly held on to what might have been.
Fast forward nearly three decades, and DiCaprio and Anderson are finally working together on One Battle After Another, hitting theaters on September 26.
The film, distributed by Warner Bros., marks their long-awaited first collaboration. DiCaprio stars as Bob Ferguson, a disillusioned revolutionary trying to escape his past while raising his teenage daughter, Willa, played by Chase Infiniti.
Anderson asked what took them so long to make a movie together. DiCaprio was quick to acknowledge the timing and personal weight of the project.
“I know One Battle After Another has been on your desk for a long time. It was a personal story for you in a lot of ways and certainly pertinent to the world that we’re living in right now.
“But ultimately, wanting to do this movie was pretty simple: I’ve been wanting to work with you—Paul—for something like twenty 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.”
When asked if he ever revisits his past performances, DiCaprio admitted he doesn’t watch most of his old films. But there’s one exception.
“I rarely watch any of my films, but if I’m being honest, there’s one that I have watched more than others. It’s The Aviator. That’s simply because it was such a special moment to me.”
Directed by Martin Scorsese, The Aviator was a turning point for DiCaprio. He portrayed Howard Hughes and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
“I had worked with Marty [Scorsese] on Gangs of New York, and I’d been toting around a book on Howard Hughes for ten years. I almost did it with Michael Mann, but there was a conflict and I ended up bringing it to Marty.
“I was thirty. It was the first time as an actor I got to feel implicitly part of the production, rather than just an actor hired to play a role. I felt responsible in a whole new way.
“ I’ve always felt proud and connected to that film as such a key part of my growing up in this industry and taking on a role of a real collaborator for the first time.”
Now with One Battle After Another, DiCaprio finally checks off a long-overdue creative partnership. While Boogie Nights may be his “biggest regret,” he’s clearly making up for it in a big way.