James Cameron, the director who helmed the ’90s hit “Titanic,” has revealed that star Leonardo DiCaprio was in danger of not getting the lead role in the film.
Auditioning for the role of Jack Dawson was the reason, according to Cameron. “I remember there was a meeting with Leo. And then there was an audition with Leo,” Cameron recalled during an interview with Quality check🇧🇷
“So the meeting was fun because I’m sitting in my conference room waiting to meet an actor, right?” she continued. “And I look around and all the women across the office were at the meeting for some reason. Like, there’s an executive producer, okay, that’s fine. But our accountant? Why was he at the meeting? Everyone wanted to meet Leo. He was hysterical. I looked around and said, ‘I think I already know the answer to the question here.’”
During the meeting, according to James Cameron, DiCaprio charmed everyone, including himself. But the director of “Titanic” still wanted to find out how the alchemy between the actor and Kate Winslet was born, already chosen to live with Jack’s other protagonist and romantic companion, Rose DeWitt Bukater.
Only, days later, when DiCaprio appeared again, everything was ready for a camera audition, but the actor did not know that the director intended to audition, and only believed that it would be a meeting to meet Kate Winslet . James Cameron said the actor said he didn’t read from the lyrics. At that point, the director is said to have shook DiCaprio’s hand and thanked him for coming.
With the actor seeing an opportunity to let the role slip by, he was quick to wonder if he’d be passed over just for not reading. “Wait wait wait. I mean, if I don’t read it, I don’t get the part, that simple?
In this, the director is said to have explained to DiCaprio the size that “Titanic” would have. “This is like a giant film that’s going to take up two years of my life and you’re going to do five other things while I do the post-production and all the models and everything. So I’m not going to screw it up by making the wrong casting decision. So either you read it or you don’t get the part.
That said, DiCaprio reluctantly agreed to audition alongside Kate Winslet, having no other choice than to miss out on the opportunity. Although he has a negative attitude, according to Cameron, the director said that by saying action, DiCaprio turned into Jack. “He just lit up and they got into this whole thing and he acted out the scene. Dark clouds parted, a ray of sunlight descended and illuminated Jack. I’m like, ‘Okay, it’s him.'”
The result was that “Titanic” became the highest-grossing film in the history of the time, remaining in this position for more than 10 years, until it was overtaken by “Avatar” in 2009, another film by James Cameron.
‘Titanic’ post-director reveals Leonardo DiCaprio almost didn’t make the film; Understanding first appeared on Olhar Digital.
Source: Olhar Digital
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
