John C. Reilly tried to convince Leonardo DiCaprio to turn down “Titanic” and do “Boogie Nights”: 'Everyone knows the boat sinks!'
John C. Reilly tried to convince Leonardo DiCaprio to turn down “Titanic” and do “Boogie Nights”: 'Everyone knows the boat sinks!'
Emlyn TravisWed, June 3, 2026 at 5:22 PM UTC
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John C. Reilly in 'Boogie Nights'; Leonardo DiCaprio in 'Titanic'
Credit: New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett; Merie W. Wallace/ParamountKey Points
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John C. Reilly once sat down with Leonardo DiCaprio and tried to convince him to star in Boogie Nights instead of Titanic.
The actor told his What's Eating Gilbert Grape costar that he shouldn't miss the opportunity to work with th film's director, Paul Thomas Anderson.
DiCaprio later expressed his regret that he passed up the role in favor of playing Jack Dawson in James Cameron's epic love story.
John C. Reilly is remembering the time he tried to convince Leonardo DiCaprio to bid bon voyage to Titanicand party it up in Boogie Nightsinstead.
The actor revealed he once personally sat down with his What’s Eating Gilbert Grape costar and tried to persuade him to ditch James Cameron’s blockbuster and join the cast of Paul Thomas Anderson’s risqué dramedy.
“At the time we were trying to get Boogie Nights put together, being in porn was thought of as taboo. It's hard to even imagine now, you probably remember,” Reilly told host Ted Danson on a recent episode of the Where Everybody Knows Your Namepodcast. “All these actors and their managers and their agents were like, ‘Porn? Whoa, whoa, man. No. No.’ And there's a penis in the movie! Everyone, ‘no, no, no, no.’”
Reilly and DiCaprio
Credit: Vince Bucci/Getty
Written and directed by Anderson, Boogie Nights follows Eddie (Mark Wahlberg) as he transforms into a famous porn star named Dirk Diggler. While the film has gone on to become a cult classic, Reilly said it took some serious work for Anderson to find his leading man.
“Before Mark was asked to do the movie, Paul really wanted Leo DiCaprio to do it,” the actor recalled. “And I had already done What's Eating Gilbert Grape with Mary [Steenburgen] and Leo, and I knew Leo. I met him when he was 17. And I was like, ‘Give me the assignment, Paul. I'll get this guy to do your movie. I have known him since he's a kid.’”
The only problem? DiCaprio had just been offered the role of charming artist Jack Dawson in Titanic.
“I sat down with him on Hillhurst there in Silver Lake, and I was like, ‘Listen. Leo, let me tell you something. That movie, Titanic, is about a boat that sinks. Everyone knows the boat sinks!’” Reilly exclaimed. “‘No one's gonna give a s--- about who's on the boat.’”
He went on to tell DiCaprio that Anderson “is gonna be one of the most talented film directors going forward” and that he “should not miss this opportunity” to work with him.
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DiCaprio, however, was still on the fence. “He was like, ‘Well, I don't know. My agents are all… They're saying this is gonna be a really big movie and I should do it,’” Reilly remembered. “And I was like, ‘I’m telling you, man. I'm telling you. I wouldn't give you a bum steer here. It's about a boat that sinks.’”
In the end, DiCaprio ended up staying onboard Titanic. Still, in an Esquire interview last August, he admitted that his “biggest regret” was turning down Anderson and the disco-infused film.
Reilly also reflected on DiCaprio’s regret on the podcast.
“I can't speak for him, but I think that the massive success that came with [Titanic] was both a blessing and a curse,” he said. “It was just a lot for a young man. And I think he felt like, ‘What would my other path have been?’”
Thankfully, Reilly noted that DiCaprio eventually got his shot to work with Anderson on the Oscar-winning film, One Battle After Another. “That was very satisfying for me,” he added.
Watch Reilly discuss the incident in the clip above.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
