Dirk Diggler: Paul Thomas Anderson’s ambitious porn prodigy
Boogie Nights, the 1997 chronicle of the ‘Golden Age of Porn’, is a stellar example of Paul Thomas Anderson’s exceptional ability to craft characters. Given that the writer-director once described his 2012 movie The Master as “high on character and low on story”, Boogie Nights is arguably high on both, and at its centre is Dirk Diggler, the ambitious adult film actor played by Mark Wahlberg.
Dirk is first introduced by his legal name, Eddie Adams. Eddie is a high school dropout who cleans dishes at a nightclub in the San Fernando Valley. He flees his family home in Torrance following an argument with his mother and a successful audition in front of the famed pornographic filmmaker Jack Horner, played by Burt Reynolds.
Desperate to “be something”, Eddie moves into Horner’s home and becomes part of the adult film industry. He inscribes a new name in bright, blue neon lights and becomes known as Dirk Diggler. Dedicating himself to his new craft with unusual ease, he asks to be called by his new moniker even off the screen.
Dirk is tenacious, energetic, and reputedly well-endowed. His ambition and eagerness to please cause a symbiotic relationship between himself and Horner, a filmmaker who is driven by the possibility of creating an adult film so good that its audience would view it as more than a voyeuristic means to a pleasurable end.
Sure enough, Dirk soon rises to stardom. He sweeps awards and maintains his enthusiastic attitude, speaking of a commitment to making better films and encouraging others to do the same. And with the honours also come the spoils. Having left his family home with just the clothes on his back, Dirk now indulges in a new lifestyle. His mother had said his possessions didn’t belong to him as he didn’t buy them himself, but now a sparkling car is his, and it’s in his garage rather than on a poster on his bedroom wall.
Of course, that’s not to say the drama-comedy Boogie Nights portrays porn as an easy industry. Julianne Moore’s Amber Waves is the maternal figure of Horner’s crew but faces an uphill battle for custody of her biological child. Buck Swope (Don Cheadle) struggles to pursue his modest dream of opening a store for the sale of hi-fi audio equipment. Maurice Rodriguez (Luis Guzmán) fears his dreams of being in one of Horner’s movies might not provide the bragging rights he expects as he develops concerns over his small penis. And Horner himself faces the ultimate threat to his artistry as videotape begins to dethrone film.
For Dirk, the arrival of new actor Johnny Doe (Jonathan Quint) presents a serious threat to his stardom. Dirk does not respond well to the prospect of competition and becomes increasingly agitated. His once-defining sexual stamina abandons him as he begins to experience difficulty getting an erection. The intensity with which Dirk experiences these troubles could potentially be due to his escalating cocaine use, or perhaps they are instead symptoms of his inability to face the competitive reality of the industry.
An aggressive confrontation with Horner ensues, and Dirk is duly fired. Thereafter, he attempts to establish a music career with friendly colleagues Scotty J (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Reed Rothchild (John C Reilly), but they struggle to find the money to purchase their demo tapes. Despite his anguish, it may be a bittersweet resolution for Dirk, as his failed project is not overtly due to his performative qualities, or lack thereof.
Later, he returns to Horner’s home like a child who has learned his lesson. He makes amends with Jack, cries into Amber’s lap, and prepares to make his X-rated homecoming. Perhaps his failed foray into music represents a persisting artistic ambition. More likely, it represents the fine line between ambition and ego for Dirk and the sad, unspoken truth that he has never really known anything outside of young, sexual stardom.
Alone in a dressing room, Dirk rehearses his lines in front of a mirror. While many of the other characters in Boogie Nights pursue alternative aspirations, Dirk is once again dedicated to the trade that brought him fame. This final scene is a nod to the 1980 black-and-white biopic Raging Bull. What separates Dirk from Martin Scorsese’s emotional and explosive boxer, Jake LaMotta, is his enduring optimism and self-assurance. While LaMotta is accepting and admits, “I could’ve been a contender,” Dirk tries to convince himself of his capabilities, proclaiming, “I’m a star. I’m a star. I’m a star.”
Maybe Dirk was correct in his initial philosophy that “everyone’s blessed with one special thing.” Unfortunately, for all the dedication and ambition he shows, there is a lingering feeling that the defining feature of his famed abilities might have simply been there all along; several inches of it, at least.
