Kate Winslet: “I’ve spent half my life talking about whether or not Leonardo DiCaprio fit on the Titanic table”

Surely you already know: ‘Titanic’ returns to theaters for its 25th anniversary. The movie of James Cameron returns to theaters in a remastered version and only in 3D and special formats. On the occasion of the return of the tape to theaters, FOTOGRAMAS has had the opportunity to have an interview with Kate Winslet. The protagonist of the film, one of the great actresses of her generation, became known to the general public with the blockbuster that Cameron released in 1998, and which of course is among the best films in Winslet’s filmography. She was just 21 years old when he shot the film, a skill unmatched by any other production.

The actress beat out some great opponents to win the role of Rose. Big names of actresses of the moment sounded for the role. Finally, she was chosen and thanks to this work she entered the star category with her partner in the adventure, Leonardo DiCaprio..

From working together with the actor, who, like her, already had an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, a great friendship arose. And it is that, as Kate herself admits, they both had a similar way of thinking and sense of humor, as well as a similar past: “None of us had professional training, so we felt like these lucky humble children. (…) And perhaps that is why we are still very good friends. We really had to take care of each other and protect each other, because it was very difficult.. Everything related to filming was complicated for everyone, whether it was due to the storm or the long working hours,” recalls the actress, who, like the rest of the team, had to be away from her family during the seven months that production lasted. Without a doubt, the experience was unique, but it was also hard, very hard: long working hours six days a week and mainly night sessions because, as its protagonist recalls, “the ship sank at night.”

Added to the working days was the interpretation of the character. One of the challenges was maintaining the accent. “I had a ‘coach’ who was there every day, and who I still work with today when I have to put on an American accent. (…) when I go back to the accent I did in ‘Titanic’, I hear myself speak and I’m like, oh my god… we could have done so much better!“, he admits. Winslet maintained that demand because “everything had to be perfect all the time: the appearance, the hair, the face, the costumes, the dialect, the interpretation… between all these special effects and the boat and so many things going around us and lots of extras and stuntmen, all of that, Leo and I couldn’t screw it up. If you didn’t believe in Jack and Rose, nothing made sense.” For almost half of his life, he has been talking about ‘Titanic’ and about “whether or not Jack fit on the table,” he confesses.

When asked about the popularity that has kept ‘Titanic’ among the best movies of the 90s, and of all time, the actress points to nostalgia: “All the romance around the movie’s release is very significant for the lives of many people. When you go back to that 1998, there were no cell phones, there were no emails. We had a clarity of thought that we no longer have,” he says. Therefore, reliving the experience in theaters will be more special: “You can’t have that experience on an iPad or on Netflix. Is not the same. I think it will be amazing“.

Asked if the actress has seen ‘Titanic’ recently, Winslet answers honestly. “No. First of all, I have to say: Of all the movies I’ve done, ‘Titanic’ is probably the one I’ve seen the most.. I think I’ve seen it three times, but I don’t usually. There are films that I have made that I have never seen, because for me it is a disconnection. And I think that it happens to many actors. The process is: play the character and make the movie. When the movie opens, it’s a very abstract thing. Watch the movie? Why would she want to do that? I have done it, Why do I have to see her? It’s a very strange thing. I did see it when it came out in 3D in 2012, at the Royal Albert Hall And the truth is that it was a lot of fun because it was on a huge screen, it was a great event and everyone was super excited to see ‘Titanic’ in 3D. So I saw her there, but I haven’t seen her since,” he says.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the film, Fotogramas has held a special in which several personalities have spoken about the importance of the film, about how it has established itself as a cult title of our time and how it became a social phenomenon.