London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Feb 18, 2026

James Cameron Reveals Leonardo DiCaprio And Kate Winslet Were Not The First Choice For "Titanic"

James Cameron Reveals Leonardo DiCaprio And Kate Winslet Were Not The First Choice For "Titanic"

The filmmaker in the interview revealed that he was initially thinking of someone like Gwyneth Paltrow for Rose.
Visionary filmmaker James Cameron in a recent video interview spilt surprising details from the making of the blockbuster movie, "Titanic." The film which celebrates 25 years of being released next month said that he almost didn't cast Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio to play Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater.

The filmmaker in the interview with GQ revealed that he was initially thinking of someone like Gwyneth Paltrow for Rose. He said that when Kate was proposed as an option, he was afraid that she was too much of a typecast. And if he picks Kate for the role it might look like the "laziest casting in the world."

"I actually didn't see Kate at first," he said in the interview. "She had done a couple of other historical dramas as well, and she was getting a reputation as 'Corset Kate' doing historical stuff."

But soon after the meeting with Kate, he thought she was "fantastic," and the rest, of course, is history.

Meanwhile, with Leonardo DiCaprio, there were many hiccups initially. "There was a meeting with Leo and then there was a screen test with Leo," Cameron said. "The meeting was funny because I am sitting in my conference room, waiting to meet an actor. And I look around, and all the women in the entire office are in the meeting. They all wanted to meet Leo. It was hysterical."

He said the meeting went well and the actor charmed everybody. DiCaprio was asked back for a read with Winslet. But it did not go that smoothly.

The filmmaker said that the actor showed up at the audition with a diva-like attitude.

"So Leo came in - of course, charmed everybody, myself included," Cameron explained. "And I said, 'Alright, let's see what your chemistry's like with Kate.'"

The actor thought that meant another meeting with Kate. But the filmmaker had called him to read lines together.

"And he said, 'You mean I'm reading?' And I said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'Oh, I don't read,'" The filmmaker then claimed that he extended his hand to the star and told him, "Well, thanks for coming by."

"He said, 'Wait, wait, wait. Do you mean if I don't read, I don't get the part? Just like that?'" the director went on.

"And I said, 'Oh, yeah. Come on. This is, like, a giant movie that's gonna take two years of my life ... so I'm not gonna f-k it up by making the wrong decision in casting. So you're gonna read, or you're not gonna get the part."

The actor submitted to his credit and the filmmaker remembered how the actor 'lit up' and "became Jack".

Titanic was released in 1997 and won 11 Academy Awards.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Italian Police Arrest Man After Alleged Attempt to Abduct Toddler at Bergamo Supermarket, Child Hospitalised With Fractured Femur
Reform UK Appoints Former Conservative Minister Robert Jenrick as Finance Chief
UK Unemployment Rises to Highest in Nearly Five Years as Labour Market Weakens
Rupert Lowe Advocates for English-Only Use in the UK
US Successfully Transports Small Nuclear Reactor from California to Utah
South Korea's traditional sand wrestling sport ssireum faces declining interest at home
Japan outlawed Islam
Virginia Giuffre accuses Epstein of trafficking to powerful men for blackmail.
New Mexico lawmakers initiate investigation into Zorro Ranch linked to Jeffrey Epstein
British Tourist Arrested at Hong Kong Airport After Meltdown and Vandalism
The Spanish government has ordered prosecutors to investigate platforms X, Meta and TikTok for allegedly spreading AI-generated child sexual abuse material
European Commission Plans Purchase Incentives Limited to Vehicles Manufactured Largely in the EU
French District of Pas-de-Calais Introduces Immediate License Suspension for Drivers Using Mobile Phones
Volkswagen Targets €60 Billion in Cost Reductions as Sales Decline and Global Pressures Intensify
Nigel Farage Names Reform UK Frontbench Team and Signals Zero Tolerance for Internal Dissent
Qualcomm to Withdraw UK Lawsuit Over Smartphone Chip Royalty Dispute
Major UK Banks Explore Domestic Card Network to Rival Visa and Mastercard
Cold Health Alert Issued Across UK as Temperatures Drop Sharply
Nine-Year-Old Becomes First Child in UK to Undergo Groundbreaking Leg-Lengthening Surgery
UK Workers Face Stagnant Incomes and a Softening Labour Market as Unemployment Climbs
UK Passport Rules Tightened for British Dual Nationals Under New Travel Guidance
California Deepens Global Climate Alliance with New UK Pact and Major Clean-Tech Investment Drive
UK Supreme Court Tightens Rules on Use of ‘Milk’ and ‘Cheese’ Labels for Plant-Based Products
University of Kentucky Postpones Feb. 19 Law Enforcement Training Exercise in Lexington
‘The only thing illegal is Keir Starmer handing these islands to a country like Mauritius!’
JD Vance says Germany is “killing itself” by taking in millions of fake asylum seekers from culturally incompatible nations.
UK Markets Signal Opportunity as Starmer Confronts Intensifying Political Pressure
Trump Criticises Newsom’s UK Climate Pact, Defends Federal Authority Over Foreign Engagements
UK’s Top Prosecutor Says ‘No One Is Above the Law’ as Police Review Claims Against Ex-Prince Andrew
Businessman Adam Brooks weighs in on the reports that the US is set to help Hamit Coskun flee the UK, over free speech concerns
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi Releases 3.5 Million Pages of Jeffrey Epstein Case Files
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Comment on European allies report blaming Russia for killing late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny using toxin from poison dart frogs
Eighty-Year-Old Lottery Winner Sentenced to 16.5 Years for Drug Trafficking
UK Quran Burner May Receive Asylum in the US Amid Legal Challenges
Rubio Calls for Sweeping U.N. Reform, Saying It Has Failed to End Wars in Gaza and Ukraine
10,000 Condoms Distributed at Winter Olympics 2026 Athlete Village Depleted Within 72 Hours
Poland's President Advocates for Evaluating Independent Nuclear Weapons Development
Prince William Meets Saudi Crown Prince as Epstein-Andrew Fallout Casts Shadow
Starmer Calls for Renewed ‘Hard Power’ Investment at European Security Summit
UK Police Establish National Taskforce to Handle Domestic Epstein-Linked Allegations
UK Court Rules Ban on Palestine Action Unlawful in Major Free Speech Test
UK Faces Prospect of Net Migration Turning Negative as Economic Impact Looms
Mayor of Serdobsk in Russia’s Penza Region Resigns After Housing Certificates Granted to Migrant Family Trigger Public Outcry
Pentagon Reviews Anthropic Partnership After Claude AI Reportedly Used in Operation Targeting Nicolás Maduro
President Donald Trump and Hip-Hop’s Political Realignment: Pardons, Public Endorsements, and the Struggle Over Cultural Influence
China’s EV Makers Face Mandatory Return to Physical Buttons and Door Handles in Driver-Distraction Safety Overhaul
Goldman Sachs and DP World Executive Resignations: Elite-Reputation Risk and Corporate Governance Fallout From the Epstein Disclosures
‘Amelia’: The UK Government’s Anti-Extremism Game Villain Who Became a Protest Symbol
Peter Mandelson Asked to Testify Before US Congress Over Jeffrey Epstein Links
Walmart's Earnings and UK Economic Data Highlight Upcoming Financial Trends
×