Leonardo DiCaprio recalled his conversation with Paul Thomas Anderson about making Boogie Nights in the ‘90s. While the actor ultimately had to pass on the role, he admitted that it was a pitch that he’ll “never forget.”
How did Paul Thomas Anderson pitch Boogie Nights to Leonardo DiCaprio?
During a conversation with Martin Scorsese at the A Year in Time event in NYC, Leonardo DiCaprio shared how Paul Thomas Anderson had pitched Boogie Nights to him (via The Hollywood Reporter).
“[I remember] meeting Paul very early on in my career,” The Revenant actor said. “I was about to go do Titanic but we were talking about doing Boogie Nights. I was in my mother’s living room and I’ll never forget [it], I was on the couch and he brought a LaserDisc of Raging Bull and a video cassette of pornography. And he said, ‘I want to do the Raging Bull of pornography.’”
This is not the first time that the Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood actor spoke about the movie. He has recently admitted that he regretted missing out on the chance to work with Anderson. In an interview with Anderson for Esquire, he said, “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.”
Despite his interest, the Wolf of Wall Street star was already committed to star in James Cameron’s Titanic, and had to pass on the role. Eventually, the role ended up with Mark Wahlberg. Nonetheless, it all worked well for DiCaprio as Titanic became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, earning over $2.2 billion from both its initial run and subsequent re-releases.
While it took 28 years, DiCaprio and Anderson reunited for One Battle After Another. As the award season approaches, their latest movie has become the frontrunner for the 2026 Academy Awards.
Originally reported by Harsha Panduranga on ComingSoon.
