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Leonardo DiCaprio‘s move successful James Cameron’s Titanic, which catapulted nan then-22-year-old movie prima to bona fide heartthrob position arsenic nan sweeping romance play collapsed container agency records, almost didn’t hap — if John C. Reilly had it his way.
The Oscar-nominated characteristic character precocious popped by Ted Danson’s Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast for a conversation, reminiscing astir his clip coming up successful nan manufacture alongside “best friend” Paul Thomas Anderson, pinch whom he had go “thick arsenic thieves” aft nan Valley-hailing head invited him to a Sundance Institute workshop.
Before his characteristic debut pinch 1996’s Hard Eight, Anderson had made nan mockumentary short movie The Dirk Diggler Story, astir a fictional antheral porn star, which he would later grow into 1997’s Boogie Nights starring Mark Wahlberg arsenic a rising fig successful nan 1970s Golden Age of Porn.
The thought had been “percolating … for years and years,” Reilly said, and, arsenic his “ride aliases die” and “right-hand man,” he wanted to thief nan three-time Oscar-winning filmmaker during nan casting process. However, arsenic “being successful porn was thought of arsenic taboo” astatine nan time, Reilly remembered actors, managers and agents steering clear, pinch moreover Wahlberg’s head advising him: “Don’t do it.”
“Before Mark was asked to do nan movie, Paul really wanted Leo DiCaprio to do it,” nan Chicago character recalled. “I knew Leo. I met him erstwhile he was 17 [on nan group of 1993’s What’s Eating Gilbert Grape]. And I was like, ‘Give maine nan assignment, Paul. I’ll get this feline to do your movie. I’ve known him since he’s a kid.'”
However, DiCaprio had already been offered Titanic. “And I was like, ‘Listen, Leo, fto maine show you something. That movie Titanic is astir a vessel that sinks,” Reilly remembered saying, arsenic Danson laughed. “Everyone knows nan vessel sinks. No one’s going to springiness a crap astir who’s connected nan boat.'”
Danson commented, joking: “This is astir a penis that goes up!”
“And I was like, ‘This guy, this director, is going to beryllium 1 of nan astir talented movie board going forward, and you should not miss this opportunity,'” Reilly added.
DiCaprio was conflicted, arsenic his agents were promising that Titanic was going to beryllium “a really large movie.”
“And I was like, ‘I’m telling you, man. I’m telling you, I wouldn’t springiness you a bum steer here. It’s astir a vessel that sinks,'” Reilly concluded.
Though nan remainder is history — Titanic still ranks among apical 5 highest grossing movies of each clip — “finally it happened” pinch One Battle After Another. “That was very satisfying for maine … It felt like, ‘Finally, he took my advice. It took 25 years aliases something,'” Reilly joked.
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