John C. Reilly recently told Ted Danson on the Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast that he tried to convince Leonardo DiCaprio to turn down Titanic and instead star in Boogie Nights, which was written and directed by his good friend Paul Thomas Anderson.
Reilly said he and Anderson had a “thick as thief” relationship after collaborating on Anderson’s 1996 directorial debut, Hard Eight. Riley co-starred with DiCaprio in 1993’s Eating Gilbert Grape and told Anderson he was confident the young star would commit to appear in Boogie Nights.
“I met him when he was 17,” Riley explained. “And I said, ‘Paul, give me that job. I’m going to have this guy make your movie. I’ve known him since (he) was a kid.'”
Riley recalled telling DiCaprio, “‘Listen, Leo, let me tell you something. That movie ‘Titanic’ is about a sinking ship. We all know the ship is sinking. Nobody cares who’s on the ship.”
He also said of Anderson at the time, “’This man, this director, is going to be one of the most talented filmmakers of the future. We shouldn’t let this opportunity pass.”’
Reilly recalled that DiCaprio was leaning toward starring in James Cameron’s Titanic. That’s because DiCaprio’s agent was convinced the film was destined to be a “really big movie.”
Still, Riley continued. “So I said, ‘I’m telling you, I’m not going to put you on the back burner here. This is about a sinking boat.'”
Despite Reilly’s persistence, DiCaprio continued to star in Titanic, which grossed $1.84 billion by the end of its first run. Mark Wahlberg played the role of Eddie Adams, aka Dirk Diggler, a young dishwasher who rose to adult film stardom in the 1970s. Riley co-starred in the film as Reed Rothschild.
