As was the lawsuit with a batch of movies being made past (and now), Paul Thomas Anderson envisioned Leonardo DiCaprio playing Eddie, the guileless and preternaturally well-endowed aspiring prima who gets discovered by an big filmmaker and adopts the precise glamorous signifier sanction Dirk Diggler—a quality loosely inspired by real-life porn prima John Holmes.

"He spent many, galore months agonizing and debating astir it," Anderson said connected a March 2022 occurrence of the SmartLess podcast. "Ultimately…what I came to realize, astir halfway into that agelong decision-making process, is that helium had a prime to make—either to bash Titanic or to bash Boogie Nights, and helium chose to bash Titanic. Which, successful the agelong run, catapulted him into this monolithic worldwide fame, but connected the different hand, I deliberation possibly—we laughter astir it now—but helium regrets missing the acquisition and doing it."

True story: DiCaprio told GQ in 2008, "It would person been a antithetic direction, career-wise. I deliberation they're some large and privation I could person done them both."

Instead, 25-year-old Mark Wahlberg ended up successful the pb role—which, successful hindsight, seemed tailormade for the onetime pants-dropping face of the Funky Bunch.

"It was comic due to the fact that Leo was benignant of gathering with Paul and I was gathering with James Cameron," Wahlberg told ABC News successful 2017. "I ne'er got offered the portion [of Jack successful Titanic] or anything, but it was conscionable meant to beryllium and I was conscionable fortunate to beryllium capable to get that part" in Boogie Nights.

"I had to work with John C. Reilly, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Thomas Jane," helium added, and Anderson "offered maine the portion close successful the room."

"That was the infinitesimal I really became a existent actor," Wahlberg told Jake Hamilton in a February 2022 interview, "and I was nary longer scared—to effort stuff, to look ridiculous, to beryllium vulnerable. And to conscionable beryllium fearless. It was like, OK, nary pun intended, gonna spell for it and fto it each bent out, and cognize that I was successful an situation wherever I was safe."

The workplace near Anderson unsocial to do his thing, helium continued, "and it was specified a liberating experience."

But, already reasoning similar the multihyphenate businessman helium is today, Wahlberg recalled on Hart to Hart that, after they wrapped, helium told his squad they needed to enactment up 2 "more commercial" films close away, just successful lawsuit Boogie Nights didn't work.

Boogie Nights marked an acting resurgence for Burt Reynolds, 1 of the biggest stars live successful the 1970s and '80s but whose quality successful 1996's Strip Tease didn't precisely crook retired to beryllium a vocation coup.

Instead, helium won a Golden Globe and earned his sole Oscar information for his show arsenic porn manager Jack Horner—and he remains the suave, super-cool center of Boogie Night's chaotic universe.

But he turned down the relation 7 times earlier yet saying yes and, little than six months earlier helium died astatine the property of 82, he said helium had ne'er adjacent seen it.

"I person a hard clip with that whole—I'd amended usage different adjective—I had a difficult time...it conscionable wasn't my benignant of film," Reynolds told Conan O'Brien in March 2018, smiling slyly arsenic his pun sank in. "It made maine precise uncomfortable—'cause I was acrophobic they mightiness admit me," helium quipped.

It wasn't true, however, that helium wanted to deed Anderson successful the look aft they were done filming, helium said, clarifying, "I conscionable wanted to deed him. I don't deliberation helium liked me."

"There was hostility for sure," Anderson told Andy Cohen in 2017. "I was 26 years aged and truly afloat of a batch of vinegar and confidence, and barking directions astatine everybody—I deliberation conscionable trying to get this movie made. And I deliberation immoderate of that astir apt got directed astatine Burt. He wasn't having it, nor should helium have, but that's not to accidental determination weren't great, large moments."

For instance, helium said, "Directing Burt Reynolds successful a jacuzzi, it was a large day...And determination were plentifulness of those."

Actually, adhd Wahlberg to the database of radical who weren't definite they wanted to instrumentality their vocation successful this direction.

"I wouldn't adjacent work the publication due to the fact that I was turned disconnected by the taxable matter," helium told ABC News successful 2017. "Then you commencement proceeding from everybody successful town, 'No, no, you person to work this thing. Finally, I reluctantly picked it up, work 35 pages, enactment it down and said, 'This could beryllium truly bully oregon it could beryllium truly bad.'"

William H. Macy, caller disconnected an Oscar information for Fargo (the movie that vaulted the already 46-year-old quality actor to caller vocation heights) recalled being a small shocked by the publication for Boogie Nights. 

"The mentation I work was way sexy. I mean, determination was enactment each done the thing," helium said successful a 2016 interrogation with the Archive of American Television. "I called my agent, I said, 'Wait, this is porn. Is this what he's going to do?'"

He was assured that the movie was contractually obligated to person an R-rating, meaning it could lone spell truthful far. And erstwhile helium saw Anderson's archetypal film, Hard Eight, Macy really wanted to do Boogie Nights, truthful he showed up for his gathering with the manager equipped with "smart, intelligence things to accidental astir the script," helium cracked. 

When Anderson started talking, however, Macy was delightfully amazed to recognize the filmmaker was trying to sell him on accepting the portion of the relentlessly cuckolded adjunct manager Bill.

"That's the archetypal clip I felt the Oscar nomination," Macy recalled happily. "I'd ne'er gotten thing without auditioning. Other than my woman and children, not auditioning is the champion happening that's ever happened to me."

Don Cheadle's archetypal absorption to the Boogie Nights screenplay was, "Why are you handing maine a 165-page script?" helium joked on The Rich Eisen Show in 2020. "It was monolithic and truly gave america an penetration into Paul's mind...Because it was truly precise technical. It had each camera determination that helium wanted, it had speeds helium was going to ramp the camera to. Snaps, zooms—things I hadn't been utilized to speechmaking successful scripts." 

The Oscar-nominated actor recalled being introduced to Anderson by Devil successful a Blue Dress director Carl Franklin, who told Cheadle helium thought the "super cocky" and "really smart" young filmmaker was going to beryllium great.

However, erstwhile informed that Anderson's adjacent movie was astir the porn industry, Cheadle recalled thinking, "Both my parents are alive, truthful I won't beryllium doing immoderate of that." But erstwhile helium met Anderson, the manager told him, "'If you don't accidental yes to this movie, you're gonna beryllium sorry, so, you should conscionable hold to bash it.'"

Eisen reacted with disbelief. "That's a quote," Cheadle assured him.

While helium surely seems to appreciate the effect of the Boogie Nights tree, successful 2017 Wahlberg was sounding a small little #blessed astir the experience.

"I conscionable ever anticipation that God is simply a movie instrumentality and besides forgiving, due to the fact that I've made immoderate mediocre choices successful my past," helium said astatine an lawsuit successful Chicago. Naming names, helium added, "Boogie Nights is up determination astatine the apical of the list."

To beryllium fair, the devout Catholic was lasting adjacent to a cardinal during a faith-themed event. But his comments made the rounds, and erstwhile his co-star Julianne Moore appeared connected Watch What Happens Live soon after, Andy Cohen obviously asked astir it.

"Oh my God, I deliberation helium should convey God for Boogie Nights. It made his career!" Moore said. "Yeah, my God, it's a large movie. He was large successful it."

Happily, Wahlberg clarified to Cohen soon aft that helium was, successful fact, joking. "Boogie Nights is the defining show of my career, it made maine considered credible arsenic an actor," the two-time Oscar nominee stressed. That being said, "there are times now, I'm married, I've got four kids. I cognize my woman would not emotion to spot maine pretending to person enactment with random women."

When he made that crack, Wahlberg explained, helium was "speaking to 5,000 young Catholic kids" and conscionable trying to beryllium funny. "I've failed astatine different attempts astatine being funny," he noted, "so it wasn't similar I needed to spell retired and support myself."

Asked however galore radical successful her beingness advised her not to play a porn star, Moore, known for her fearless acting choices, told Bobbie Wygant successful 1997 that her team was mostly precise supportive erstwhile she was passionate astir a project.

She archetypal met Anderson astatine a party, helium gave her the publication and "it was truly terrific," she recalled. So from that archetypal read, it was a yes.

That being said, she added with a laugh, "by the clip I finished it, I was truly acceptable to go." But giving her each paid off, and Moore received her archetypal Oscar nomination for her heartbreaking crook arsenic the alternatively tragic Amber Waves.

Reilly, who played Reed Rothchild—porn actor, magician and, of course, Dirk's co-star successful the Brock Landers enactment franchise—considers his breakout movie to beryllium much than meets the eye.

"It's not truly astir porn; it's astir choosing your family," helium told Vulture successful May. "If your humor household doesn't emotion you, you tin take different family. I cognize radical successful my ain beingness who person done that, and that's a precise powerful, self-loving happening to do."

And, helium told Yahoo successful 2016 of making the film, "I conscionable retrieve that arsenic being the champion summertime of my life."

"[Producer] John Lyons called maine and conscionable said, 'Look, we've got this small, small part, it's 4 oregon 5 days' work, it mightiness beryllium a batch of fun,'" Alfred Molina told Grantland successful 2014. "He got maine connected the telephone with Paul. And I said, 'What's the role?' And helium said, 'Well, it's a coked-up cause fiend connected a shotgun rampage.' And I thought, Well, I've ne'er done that before."

So was calved his unforgettable crook arsenic cause trader Rahad, who Dirk and Reed's adjacent dumber person Todd (Thomas Jane) tries highly unsuccessfully to rip off. The surreal series is made adjacent much truthful by the dependable of firecrackers going off inside the dealer's house—which aft a fewer days was driving everyone, but Molina, insane.

The English histrion explained that helium kept 1 receptor plugged and determination was an earwig successful the other so helium could perceive the dialogue. "The guys were perpetually jumping retired of their skins," helium recalled, "but Rahad, my character, was wholly still."

Wahlberg told Grantland that the trader portion was primitively expected to beryllium played by Sean Penn. Then, casting manager Christine Sheaks said, they offered it to John Turturro, so Molina really ended up being the past histrion to articulation the monolithic ensemble. 

But "Alfred Molina tin bash anything," Sheaks said. "If I could formed Alfred Molina successful each task I bash for the remainder of my life, I would beryllium blessed astir it."

Wahlberg still has the prosthetic penis Dirk flashes astatine the extremity of Boogie Nights, conscionable erstwhile you were thinking, Well, the movie's over, conjecture we're ne'er gonna spot the immense penis everyone's talking about.

"It's successful a harmless locked away," helium told Ellen DeGeneres in April. "It's not thing I could permission out. All of a abrupt my kids are looking for a spare telephone charger and propulsion that happening retired and go, 'What the heck is this?!' It wouldn't beryllium a bully look."

That being said, Wahlberg told Seth Meyers in 2014 it was the lone prop he'd ever kept from 1 of his films. "It was down past my knee," helium recalled of the unwieldy appendage. "The archetypal 1 did not work, was not good, everyone thought it was ridiculous. I had to travel retired connected acceptable and amusement everybody...It was beauteous embarrassing." And adjacent erstwhile it was appropriately modified, wearing it each time was highly uncomfortable.

Speaking of that archetypal model, though, "It was the size of John Holmes's penis, but Mark is similar 8 oregon 9 inches shorter [in height] than John Holmes," exertion Dylan Tichenor recalled to Grantland successful 2014, portion of a precise graphic breakdown of however the wire-and-clay organ was made and subsequently attached to Wahlberg. "It was much than one-sixth of his body."

Director of lensman Robert Elswit said appreciatively of the star, "Any histrion would person a hard clip without trusting wholly successful Paul. He had to enactment a prosthetic c--k connected his ain c--k, you cognize what I mean? That's asking an atrocious batch of an actor, honestly."