Leonardo DiCaprio says he has no second thoughts about turning down Boogie Nights to act in Titanic, despite once naming Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1997 drama as the project he regretted not doing.

The 51-year-old actor, who became a global sensation playing Jack Dawson in James Cameron’s Titanic, talked about the subject in a new interview with Deadline.

The 1997 blockbuster went on to win 11 Oscars and cemented DiCaprio’s status as one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars.

Anderson’s Boogie Nights, also released in 1997 and led by Mark Wahlberg as Eddie Adams, has long been regarded as a defining work of its era. In a previous interview, when asked about a film he wished he had done, DiCaprio mentioned Boogie Nights.

The actor has now clarified the context of that remark. “Well, I think that was my answer to a question in the guise of speaking to Paul Thomas Anderson, and, without getting too personal about my own life, the question was, 'What do you regret most?' We were sitting here talking about movies. It came from the standpoint of just being a fan of his work for so long,” he told Deadline.

“I do remember watching that movie and it being just a lightning rod moment for my generation. It was like the arrival of a new cinematic titan, one who was speaking to my generation,” he added.

DiCaprio was quick to praise Wahlberg’s performance, noting the role ultimately found its ideal lead. “Now, I don't think anyone could have done a better job than Mark Wahlberg in that movie, so I said it from the perspective of being just a really sincere fan and then watching the way Paul has progressed as a storyteller with these very esoteric, existential films he's made since then that keep you thinking,” he said.

Talking about his performance in Titanic, DiCaprio said, “I mean, fully now in retrospect, I look back at that film and realise the thanks and the appreciation that I have for being a part of it, and to have been able to be in this incredibly fortunate position and not only to have been a part of that movie, but to be able to be the conductor of my own choices since. That has been just the greatest gift”.

DiCaprio’s latest release is One Battle After Another, which opened in September. Directed by Anderson, the film also stars Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor and Benicio del Toro.