John C Reilly Tried To Talk Leonardo DiCaprio Out Of Titanic Role

John C Reilly has admitted he once tried to give Leonardo DiCaprio some advice that would have changed the course of the young actor’s career.

The pair met on the set of the 1993 coming-of-age drama What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?, with John going on to collaborate with Paul Thomas Anderson on his movie Boogie Nights.

Before filming got underway, the future Oscar-winning director had hoped to snag Leo for the lead role of Dirk Diggler, after watching him in The Basketball Diaries.

However, the Romeo & Juliet actor had to turn the offer down as he’d already agreed to appear in a little-known indie film you may or may not have heard of… known as Titanic.

During an appearance on Ted Danson’s podcast Where Everybody Knows Your Name, John recalled: “I knew Leo. I met him when he was 17. And I was like, ‘Give me the assignment, Paul. I’ll get this guy to do your movie. I’ve known him since he’s a kid’.”

He continued: “I was like, ‘Listen, Leo, let me tell you something. That movie Titanic is about a boat that sinks. Everyone knows the boat sinks. No one’s going to give a shit about who’s on the boat’.

“I was like, ’This guy, this director, is going to be one of the most talented film directors going forward, and you should not miss this opportunity.”

Apparently, Leo wasn’t sure on this as his agents had assured him Titanic was about to become “a really big movie”, to which the Step Brothers star replied: “I’m telling you, man. I’m telling you, I wouldn’t give you a bum steer here. It’s about a boat that sinks.”

Of course, as we all know now, Leo eventually turned down Boogie Nights, recommending his former co-star Mark Wahlberg for the role instead, although he once claimed that not doing the film was his “biggest regret”.

All’s well that ends well, though – and he did finally get to work with Paul Thomas Anderson on 2025’s One Battle After Another, which was awarded Best Picture at this year’s Oscars.

Listen to John C Reilly’s full interview on Where Everybody Knows Your Name here.