Development
Boogie Nights is based on a mockumentary short film that Anderson wrote and directed while he was still in high school called The Dirk Diggler Story.[4] The short itself was based on the 1981 documentary Exhausted: John C. Holmes, The Real Story, a documentary about the life of legendary porn actor John Holmes, on whom Dirk Diggler is based.[10]
Boogie Nights helped establish Wahlberg as a film actor; he was previously only known as the frontman of Marky Mark and the Funky BunchAnderson originally wanted the role of Eddie to be played by Leonardo DiCaprio, after seeing him in The Basketball Diaries. DiCaprio enjoyed the screenplay, but had to turn it down because he had signed on to star in James Cameron's Titanic. He recommended his Basketball Diaries co-star Mark Wahlberg for the role.[10] DiCaprio would later say that he wished he had done both.[11] Joaquin Phoenix was also offered the role of Eddie, but he declined it due to concerns about playing a porn star. Phoenix later collaborated with Anderson on the films The Master and Inherent Vice.[12] Bill Murray, Harvey Keitel, Warren Beatty, Albert Brooks and Sydney Pollack declined or were passed up on the role of Jack Horner, which went to Burt Reynolds.[13][14] After starring in Hard Eight, Samuel L. Jackson declined the role of Buck Swope, which went to Don Cheadle.[10] Anderson initially did not consider Heather Graham for Rollergirl, because he had never seen her do nudity in a film. However, Graham's agent called Anderson asking if she could read for the part, which she won.[10] Gwyneth Paltrow, Drew Barrymore and Tatum O'Neal were also up for the role.[13][15]
After having a very difficult time getting his previous film, Hard Eight, released, Anderson laid down a hard law when making Boogie Nights. He initially wanted the film to be over three hours long and be rated NC-17. The film's producers, particularly Michael De Luca, said that the film had to be either under three hours or rated R. Anderson fought with them, saying that the film would not have a mainstream appeal no matter what. They did not change their minds, and Anderson chose the R rating as a challenge. Despite this, the film was still 25 minutes shorter than promised.[10]
Reynolds did not get along with Anderson while filming. After seeing a rough cut of the film, Reynolds allegedly fired his agent for recommending it.[16] Despite this, Reynolds won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance. Later, Anderson wanted Reynolds to star in his next film, Magnolia, but Reynolds declined.[17] In 2012, Reynolds denied rumors that he disliked the film, calling it "extraordinary" and saying that his opinion of it has nothing to do with his relationship with Anderson.[18] According to Mark Wahlberg, Reynolds wanted his character Jack Horner to have an Irish accent.[19][20]
