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John C. Reilly once gave Leonardo DiCaprio the worst advice of his career
Hindsight has made us suspicious of any advice John C. Reilly gives anyone, especially after telling Leonardo DiCaprio to pass on Titanic
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From the time he was a young man, Leonardo DiCaprio has had a talent for picking the right movies to star in, sometimes despite seemingly well-meaning people around him trying to influence his decisions. One of those people was John C. Reilly, who gave DiCaprio what could be the worst career advice of all time when he told the young star to pass on Titanic in favor of Boogie Nights.
On a recent episode of Ted Danson’s Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast, John C. Reilly revealed that he tried his best to convince Leonardo DiCaprio to pass on Titanic and instead star in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights. Reilly had recently worked with Anderson on Hard Eight in 1996 and DiCaprio on What’s Eating Gilbert Grape in 1993, so he believed he could convince DiCaprio to sign on to Boogie Nights.
“I met him when he was 17,” John C. Reilly said. “And I was like, ‘Give me the assignment, Paul. I’ll get this guy to do your movie. I’ve known him since [he was] a kid.’”
The pitch that Reilly reportedly gave DiCaprio seems almost comical in hindsight. “’Listen, Leo. Let me tell you something,’” Reilly recalled telling Leonardo DiCaprio. “’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… [Paul Thomas Anderson], this director, is going to be one of the most talented film directors going forward, and you should not miss this opportunity.’”
“And I was like, ‘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.’”
Technically, John C. Reilly is correct; Titanic is about a boat that sinks. It also went on to make Leonardo DiCaprio one of the premier leading men in Hollywood and grossed more than $1 billion at the box office. So maybe don’t go to John C. Reilly for career advice, is what we’re saying.
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