"Leonardo DiCaprio didn't want me for the part, and I didn't think he was right for the part," Wahlberg said, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Sudden fight with Leonardo DiCaprio during the shooting of Basketball Diaries in 1995 would have cost actor Mark Wahlberg his first big movie.
The 47-year-old Wahlberg revealed during his speech at the 2018 LEAP Foundation Conference that DiCaprio was not keen on having Walhberg in the film which led to a brief dispute between the two.
"He didn't want me for the part, and I didn't think he was right for the part," Wahlberg said, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
"We both had to really learn how to respect each other, and we earned it," he added.
The film, directed by Scott Kalvert, featured DiCaprio, 43, as basketball player Jim who develops an addiction to heroin.
It was the second feature for Walhberg, who had played the role of Mickey, after he had switched from music to acting.
After the film, Walhberg went on to star in features such as Boogie Nights, Planet Of The Apes and The Departed, where he once again acted alongside DiCaprio.
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