Leonardo DiCaprio has one regret from his long acting career.
In an interview with Battle After Battle director Paul Thomas Anderson for Esquire , the Oscar winner admitted that his "biggest regret" is turning down his 1997 film Boogie Nights .
“I’ll say this even though you’re here: My biggest regret is not doing Boogie Nights . It was a profound film of my generation,” DiCaprio said. “I can’t imagine anyone but Mark [Wahlberg] in it. When I finally got to see that movie, I thought it was a masterpiece. It’s ironic that you’re the person asking that question, but it’s true.”
DiCaprio had to pass on starring in the film Anderson directed because he was already signed to lead Titanic . The actor previously told GQ in 2008 that he wished he “could have done both” instead of having to choose one project over the other.
Boogie Nights instead starred Mark Wahlberg as Eddie Adams, a young man who is scouted by porn director Jack Hornolds (Burt Reynolds) and becomes pornographic film star Dirk Diggler.
Although DiCaprio and Anderson almost worked together on the 1997 film, Battle After Battle marks their first official collaboration. When the director asked him, "Why did it take us so long" to work on a film, he said he'd wanted to join forces for nearly two decades.
“I know that Battle After Battle has been on your desk for a long time. It was a personal story for you in many ways and certainly pertinent to the world we’re living in right now,” DiCaprio added. “But ultimately, wanting to make this film was pretty simple: I’ve wanted to work with you, Paul, for something like 20 years, and I loved this idea of the Washing-up Revolution trying to erase her past and disappear and try to live some sort of normal life as her daughter.”
Battle After Battle follows a group of former revolutionaries who reunite to help member Bob Ferguson (DiCaprio) find his daughter. The film will be released on September 26.
