Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Tuesday, Nov 25, 2025

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

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Saudi-Portuguese Economic Horizons Expand Through Strategic Business Council
DHL Commits $150 Million for Landmark Logistics Hub in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Aramco Weighs Disposals Amid $10 Billion-Plus Asset Sales Discussion
Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince for Major Defence and Investment Agreements
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
Riyadh Metro Records Over One Hundred Million Journeys as Saudi Capital Accelerates Transit Era
Trump’s Grand Saudi Welcome Highlights U.S.–Riyadh Pivot as Israel Watches Warily
U.S. Set to Sell F-35 Jets to Saudi Arabia in Major Strategic Shift
Saudi Arabia Doubles Down on U.S. Partnership in Strategic Move
Saudi Arabia Charts Tech and Nuclear Leap Under Crown Prince’s U.S. Visit
Trump Elevates Saudi Arabia to Major Non-NATO Ally Amid Defense Deal
Trump Elevates Saudi Arabia to Major Non-NATO Ally as MBS Visit Yields Deepened Ties
Iran Appeals to Saudi Arabia to Mediate Restart of U.S. Nuclear Talks
Musk, Barra and Ford Join Trump in Lavish White House Dinner for Saudi Crown Prince
Lawmaker Seeks Declassification of ‘Shocking’ 2019 Call Between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince
US and Saudi Arabia Forge Strategic Defence Pact Featuring F-35 Sale and $1 Trillion Investment Pledge
Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund Emerges as Key Contender in Warner Bros. Discovery Sale
Trump Secures Sweeping U.S.–Saudi Agreements on Jets, Technology and Massive Investment
Detroit CEOs Join White House Dinner as U.S.–Saudi Auto Deal Accelerates
Netanyahu Secures U.S. Assurance That Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge Will Remain Despite Saudi F-35 Deal
Ronaldo Joins Trump and Saudi Crown Prince’s Gala Amid U.S.–Gulf Tech and Investment Surge
U.S.–Saudi Investment Forum Sees U.S. Corporate Titans and Saudi Royalty Forge Billion-Dollar Ties
Elon Musk’s xAI to Deploy 500-Megawatt Saudi Data Centre with State-backed Partner HUMAIN
U.S. Clears Export of Advanced AI Chips to Saudi Arabia and UAE Amid Strategic Tech Partnership
xAI Selects Saudi Data-Centre as First Customer of Nvidia-Backed Humain Project
A Decade of Innovation Stagnation at Apple: The Cook Era Critique
President Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington Amid Strategic Deal Talks
Saudi Crown Prince to Press Trump for Direct U.S. Role in Ending Sudan War
Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince: Five Key Takeaways from the White House Meeting
Trump Firmly Defends Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi Murder Amid Washington Visit
Trump Backs Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi Killing Amid White House Visit
Trump Publicly Defends Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi Killing During Washington Visit
President Donald Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at White House to Seal Major Defence and Investment Deals
Saudi Arabia’s Solar Surge Signals Unlikely Shift in Global Oil Powerhouse
Saudi Crown Prince Receives Letter from Iranian President Ahead of U.S. Visit
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Begins Washington Visit to Cement Long-Term U.S. Alliance
Saudi Crown Prince Meets Trump in Washington to Deepen Defence, AI and Nuclear Ties
Saudi Arabia Accelerates Global Mining Strategy to Build a New Economic Pillar
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Arrives in Washington to Reset U.S.–Saudi Strategic Alliance
Saudi-Israeli Normalisation Deal Looms, But Riyadh Insists on Proceeding After Israeli Elections
Saudis Prioritise US Defence Pact and AI Deals, While Israel Normalisation Takes Back Seat
Saudi Crown Prince’s Washington Visit Aims to Advance Defence, AI and Nuclear Cooperation
Saudi Delegation Strengthens EU–MENA Security Cooperation in Lisbon
Saudi Arabia’s Fossil-Fuel Dominance Powers Global Climate Blockade
Trump Organization Engages Saudi Government-Owned Real-Estate Deal Amid White House Visit
Trump Organization Nears Billion-Dollar Saudi Real Estate Deal Amid White House Diplomacy
Israel Presses U.S. to Tie Saudi F-35 Sale to Formal Normalisation
What We Know Now: Donald Trump’s Financial Ties to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s Ambitious Defence Wish List for Washington: From AI Drones to Nuclear Umbrella
Analysis Shows China, Saudi Arabia and UAE among Major Recipients of Climate Finance Loans
×