Hitting our screens 25 years ago, Titanic was an authentic tour de force that broke many records. In addition to a worldwide box office gross of $1.8 billion and a budget of nearly $250 million, its eleven Oscar wins out of fourteen nominations, it was also aboard a 300-person crew of Odyssey for a 160-day shoot spread over eight. months.
In the end, James Cameron had enough to show the film for twelve days straight. Shooting under the auspices of a great filmmaker like him is not an easy task, as he is known for being terribly demanding, even downright tyrannical.
Nevertheless, Homer behind the scenes Titanic The film has been widely documented and tested since its release. And then there are, on the sidelines, the unusual stories that have fallen a bit under the radar. As well as the filming of the final meal on set surrounding the poisoning of the crew.
Spoiled food or expiration date? Not easily. In fact, PCP, a hallucinogenic drug, was injected into the clam chowder eaten at this meal…but how is that possible?
The Last Supper, which resembles the Last Supper
August 8, 1996. The last day of shooting for the crew, who were then in Canada. On the food menu: a thick clam chowder that keeps the body warm, lovingly prepared by the dining room staff. He apparently seems very popular, as Marilyn McAvoy, the artist recalls on the set.
“The soup was amazing. People kept coming back for second bowls. I was really thinking about going back because it was so good. And I think that was part of the problem: people were eating a lot more than usual because it was so delicious. .” he told Vice in 2017.
Barely 30 minutes later, the first effects were felt… Realizing that something was wrong with the soup, obviously not knowing what it was, James Cameron went straight to lock himself in the toilet to try to make himself vomit. “It could have been paralyzing shellfish neurotoxin, which is very dangerous” will say
“Some started laughing, some cried, some vomited” In turn, Bill Paxton will comment in an interview Entertainment Weekly in 1996. “The first minute I was fine. The second I started having anxiety attacks, so much so that I wanted to blow my breath into a paper bag. Cameron felt the same way.”
Fortunately, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet were spared because they were not scheduled to shoot on location. As for Gloria Stewart, she was also lucky: she was dining at a restaurant that day!
Cameron tapped his pencil
All those who began to hallucinate were sent to Dartmouth Hospital, located in Nova Scotia. “We were all put in cubicles with curtains, but no one wanted to stay in those cubicles. Everyone was in the hall jumping into each other’s cubicles. People were wild. Some were in wheelchairs flying down the hallways. I. I mean, everybody was tall!” says Marilyn McAvoy.
And Cameron will say that he was A pencil hit him in the face. But since he was also high, he basically started laughing while his face was bleeding. Some actually started the conga, a dance of Cuban origin…
The hospital’s medical team was eventually able to combat the toxins and get the victims to swallow a liquid containing activated charcoal. Although he initially thought the team was the victim of a strange case of food poisoning, Toxicological analyzes conducted by the police indicated the presence of PSP in the soup.
The culprit was never found
The question was now obvious: Who could put this drug in the soup? The first doubt, naturally, arose against the company responsible for cooking. Earl Scott, the director of the company, tried to absolve him of any responsibility, claiming that perhaps the Hollywood talent brought the psychotropic drug. “I don’t think it was done to intentionally hurt anyone, but a party trick gone wrong.”
Cameron had his own idea of ​​who was responsible. “We fired a team member the day before because he was causing problems with food service. So we thought the poisoning was this idiot’s plan to get back into food service, which of course we immediately fired the next day.” He explained in columns Vanity Fairin 2017.
Cameron looked confident. Because the Halifax police, who requested (and obtained) a list of all the people involved in the shooting, were never able to officially identify the person responsible. On February 12, 1999, the investigation was officially closed.
Source: Allocine

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.