John C. Reilly Remembers Trying To Convince Leonardo DiCaprio To Drop Out Of ‘Titanic’ Role For ‘Boogie Nights’: “It’s About A Boat That Sinks”

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John C. Reilly recently recalled attempting to persuade Leonardo DiCaprio to abandon his role in James Cameron's Titanic to instead join the cast of Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights. At the time, DiCaprio was 22 and poised to become a major star through the blockbuster romance, which would shatter box office records. Reilly's pitch: "It's about a boat that sinks." The anecdote emerged during an appearance on Ted Danson's podcast, offering a glimpse into the career calculations that shaped two very different paths in 1990s Hollywood.