Leonardo DiCaprioandPaul Thomas Andersonhave just made their first film together:One Battle After Another, which hits theaters this fall. However, DiCaprio regrets not starring in one of Anderson’s first movies, almost three decades ago. In arecent interviewwith Anderson, DiCaprio notes that his biggest regret is not starring in the director’s adult-film epicBoogie Nights, in the role that would eventually be played byMark Wahlberg.
Says DiCaprio, “My biggest regret is not doingBoogie Nights.It was a profound movie of my generation. I can’t imagine anyone but Mark in it. When I finally got to see that movie, I just thought it was a masterpiece.” Anderson wanted DiCaprio to play porn star Dirk Diggler (who was loosely based on real-life adult film actorJohn Holmes) in the film after seeing him in the dramaThe Basketball Diaries. While DiCaprio liked the script, he had already signed on to star inJames Cameron’sTitanic, and was unable to appear in both. Given thatTitanicsmashed box office records and made DiCaprio a household name, it says something about the quality ofBoogie Nightsthat he still regrets not appearing in it.
What Is ‘Boogie Nights’ About?
Wahlberg stars as Eddie Adams, a high school dropout whose prodigious endowment gets him noticed by veteran adult filmmaker Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds). Taking the name “Dirk Diggler,” Eddie soon becomes part of Horner’s coterie of outcast adult film stars and crew members, including Amber Waves (Julianne Moore), Buck Swope (Don Cheadle), Rollergirl (Heather Graham), Reed Rothchild (John C. Reilly), Scotty J. (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and Little Bill (William H. Macy). They attain success and fame in the 1970s, but as the calendar turns over to the 1980s, things turn sour, as murder, modernity, and enormous amounts of cocaine start to gradually wreck their lives.The movie was a critical sensation,and holds a 94% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes; it was nominated for three Oscars (for Moore, Reynolds, and Anderson’s script), but did not win any. However, it is still considered to be one ofAnderson’s masterpieces.
One Battle After Anothercenters around a band of revolutionaries; long-disbanded, they reunite when an old enemy resurfaces and kidnaps one of their daughters. In addition to DiCaprio, it also starsSean Penn,Benicio del Toro,Regina Hall,Teyana Taylor, andChase Infiniti. The film is loosely based onThomas Pynchon’s 1990 novelVineland; Anderson previously adapted Pynchon’sInherent Vice.
One Battle After Anotherwill be released in theaters on September 26. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
Boogie Nights
