Kristina Roberts
Leonardo DiCaprio is known all over the world as one of Hollywood’s most talented and respected actors. With a career that has lasted more than thirty years, he has played unforgettable roles in movies like Titanic, The Revenant, Inception, and The Wolf of Wall Street. His acting skills, dedication, and passion for cinema have won him not only awards but also the love of millions of fans. But even someone as successful as DiCaprio has moments where they look back and wish they had made a different choice. Recently, he openly shared one such moment — a decision that still lingers in his mind as his biggest regret in his career.
In a conversation with director Paul Thomas Anderson, who is working with him on their new film One Battle After Another, DiCaprio revealed that the project he regrets turning down the most is Boogie Nights. This 1997 drama, directed by Anderson, is widely regarded as a masterpiece. It explores the rise and fall of a young man in the adult film industry during the 1970s and 80s and has been praised for its bold storytelling and complex characters.
Speaking honestly, DiCaprio said, “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.” His words show that this was not just a casual missed opportunity, but something he truly feels could have been a defining moment in his career.
DiCaprio went on to explain that he has great respect for the actor who ended up playing the role he was offered — Mark Wahlberg. “It’s ironic that you’re the person asking that question, but it’s true,” he said to Anderson, adding that he could not imagine anyone else doing a better job than Wahlberg. In fact, reports say that when DiCaprio realized he couldn’t take the part, he personally suggested Wahlberg’s name for the role. That choice turned out to be a good one, as Wahlberg’s performance received high praise and helped launch his career to greater heights.
So, why did DiCaprio turn down Boogie Nights in the first place? The answer lies in another film — one that would go on to become one of the biggest movies in history. At the time Anderson approached him, DiCaprio had already committed to working with James Cameron on Titanic. This epic love story set against the tragedy of the sinking ship went on to break box office records, win multiple Oscars, and turn DiCaprio into a global superstar. It was a role that made him a household name, and without it, his career might have taken a completely different path.
Yet, even with the massive success of Titanic, DiCaprio still wonders what it would have been like to step into the world of Boogie Nights. This reveals something important about actors and artists in general — no matter how successful they are, there is often a curiosity about the paths they did not take. In DiCaprio’s case, it is not about regretting Titanic, but about knowing that Boogie Nights was a special project that could have allowed him to explore a completely different kind of character at that point in his career.
The bond between DiCaprio and Paul Thomas Anderson is now finally being realized in One Battle After Another, which is set to release in 2025. This marks the first time they are working together on a film, even though Anderson had wanted to cast DiCaprio almost three decades ago. For both of them, this collaboration feels like a long time coming. While Boogie Nights will always be the “what if” in their professional relationship, this new project is a chance to finally combine their creative talents.
It is interesting to think about how different Hollywood history might have been if DiCaprio had accepted the role in Boogie Nights. Would it have changed the way audiences saw him in the late 1990s? Would it have altered the way his career developed afterward? No one can say for sure. What we do know is that Titanic gave him worldwide fame, but Boogie Nights might have given him an early opportunity to dive into more mature, risky, and unconventional roles.
DiCaprio’s openness in talking about his regret also shows a side of him that fans admire — his humility and honesty. Many actors choose not to discuss missed opportunities publicly, especially when they have had a career as successful as his. But DiCaprio’s willingness to share this story reminds us that no matter how high you climb, you will always look back at certain decisions and wonder about the road not taken.
It is also worth noting that his regret is mixed with admiration. He has never spoken about the decision in a way that suggests bitterness. Instead, he praises the work of Mark Wahlberg and recognizes the excellence of the final film. This attitude shows respect for fellow actors and an understanding that sometimes, the right role finds the right person — even if it was originally meant for someone else.
Now, as audiences wait for One Battle After Another, there is extra curiosity to see what magic will happen when DiCaprio and Anderson finally team up. The film’s release in 2025 will not erase the past, but it will give both the actor and the director a fresh chance to create something unforgettable together. In a way, it feels like the closing of a circle that began with an offer made in the late 90s, one that DiCaprio had to refuse but never forgot.
The story of DiCaprio’s “biggest regret” is a reminder that even the most celebrated careers are full of twists, turns, and moments of choice. Sometimes, saying “yes” to one thing means saying “no” to something else, and you never know which decision will end up shaping your life the most. For DiCaprio, choosing Titanic over Boogie Nights was the right move in many ways — it made him an international star and gave him opportunities that might never have come otherwise. Yet, it also left him with a small, persistent question in the back of his mind: What if?
In the end, this is what makes DiCaprio’s confession so relatable. We all have decisions we look back on and wonder about. The difference is that most of us don’t have our choices documented in Hollywood history. Leonardo DiCaprio does — and now, thanks to his honesty, we get a glimpse into one of the few moments where even a superstar feels that familiar sting of “what could have been.”
