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Leonardo DiCaprio says rejecting ‘Boogie Nights’ remains his “biggest regret”

Wed 13 August 2025 14:42, UK

Leonardo DiCaprio has confirmed his “biggest regret” remains rejecting Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights in the 1990s.

Anderson’s Oscar-nominated second feature, Boogie Nights, arrived on screens in 1997, and starred Mark Wahlberg in the main role as Dirk Diggler. However, it could have been a very different movie if DiCaprio had taken up the opportunity to star in the production.

Almost three decades later, DiCaprio has teamed up with Anderson for the first time on One Battle After Another, which is set to arrive in cinemas on September 26th, 2025.

In a new broad-ranging conversation with Esquire, he told Anderson in response to a question about his biggest regret, “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.”

However, he does believe Wahlberg was perfect for the role, adding, 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, but it’s true.”

DiCaprio then explained the reason why he jumped at the opportunity to finally work with Anderson on their new movie, sharing, “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.”

The Wolf of Wall Street star has previously discussed his regret about rejecting Boogie Nights, once telling ShowbizSpy in 2010, “My biggest regret is Boogie Nights. I’m a huge fan of Paul Thomas Anderson but the first time I met him for that role I hadn’t really seen much of his previous work. Now I love that movie.”

Meanwhile, Anderson once stated on the Bill Simmons Podcast that “there was no Leo vs. Mark because Leo decided not to do the film”.