‘His entire being is just so negative’: When James Cameron ALMOST rejected Leonardo DiCaprio for iconic role in USD 2.2 billion movie Titanic | CPT PPP Coverage

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Leonardo DiCaprio in a tux and tails standing atop a grand staircase in front of a clock in Titanic, turning and extending his hand to Rose, who was played by Kate Winslet, is one of the most memorable scenes in the last three decades of the film. That scene almost didn’t happen because, according to director James Cameron, DiCaprio almost talked himself out of doing the film. Not once, but twice.

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Why did James Cameron almost reject Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic?

With Titanic fans everywhere clutching their pearls (or Heart of the Ocean replicas), Leonardo DiCaprio nearly missed out on playing Jack Dawson. Kate Winslet’s Jack and Rose are probably one of the most iconic on-screen couples of all time. It’s difficult to imagine anybody else straining for space on that door in the icy water or standing atop the stairs in Rose’s dream scenario. But, according to filmmaker James Cameron, those famous scenes were almost never going to happen.

Cameron said in an interview with GQ in 2022 that DiCaprio almost lost out on the film because he tried to talk himself out of it. Twice. 

Cameron stated that during his audition, DiCaprio charmed everybody, including him. He recalled being reluctant when he took the actor for a chemistry read with his would-be co-star, Winslet. The Titanic director revealed, “He said, ‘You mean I’m reading?’ I said yes, and he said, ‘Oh, I don’t read.’ Well, I replied as I shook his hand, Thanks for stopping by.’ ‘Wait, you mean I don’t get the portion if I don’t read?’ he asked. Just like that?’ I said, Oh yeah, come on, this is going to take two years of my life, and you’ll be gone doing five other things while I’m doing post-production and all the model work and everything, so I’m not going to f**k it up by making the wrong casting decision, so you’re going to read or you’re not going to get the part,” Cameron recalled.

So, DiCaprio read, although sulkily, as the director noticed. Cameron further added, “He comes in and every ounce of his entire being is just so negative, right up until I said action, and then he turned into Jack and Kate just lit up, and they went into this whole thing and played the scene. Dark clouds parted, and a ray of sunlight shone down, lighting up Jack. OK, he’s the guy.”

James Cameron and Leonardo DiCaprio had a bumpy ride while they were working on Titanic

Although the gloomy clouds had cleared, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. In fact, Cameron and DiCaprio had another brief disagreement a few weeks later, when DiCaprio suggested that they include some affliction, some problem, or some traumatic thing from the past in Jack’s character. This made him concerned that the young celebrity, who was in his early twenties at the time, was not necessarily the proper fit for the role.

Cameron told DiCaprio, “I said, ‘You’ve done all these great characters who all have a problem, whether it’s addiction or whatever. I said you’ve got to learn how to hold the center and not have all that stuff. This isn’t the reign of Richard III. When you can stand there like Jimmy Stewart or Gregory Peck. If they didn’t have a limp, lisp, or anything, then you’ll be ready for this, but I’m not sure you are since what I’m talking about is actually a lot more difficult. Those are props; those are crutches; what I’m talking about is considerably more difficult, and you’re probably not ready for it.”

It turned out that the harsh love was effective. “The second I said that, it clicked for him that this was going to be a really hard, challenging film for him, and this was my mistake: I hadn’t sufficiently laid out the challenge for him.”

That’s how Leonardo DiCaprio‘s diva behavior nearly cost him one of the most famous roles in modern pop cultural history.

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