John C. Reilly revealed he tried to persuade Leonardo DiCaprio to pass on Titanic in favor of starring in Boogie Nights, sharing the story on Ted Danson's podcast. DiCaprio ultimately chose the James Cameron film, which became one of the highest-grossing movies ever.
Reilly spoke about the effort on the Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast hosted by Ted Danson. He recalled meeting DiCaprio on the set of What's Eating Gilbert Grape in 1993 and later trying to cast him in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights after working with the director on Hard Eight. Reilly told DiCaprio that Titanic was “about a boat that sinks” and that “no one’s going to give a shit about who’s on the boat,” while emphasizing Anderson's talent. DiCaprio's agents predicted Titanic would be a major success, so he proceeded with it; Mark Wahlberg took the lead role in Boogie Nights instead. Titanic earned $1.84 billion during its original theatrical run. Reilly noted that DiCaprio later worked with Anderson on One Battle After Another, finally taking his advice after about 25 years.