Leonardo DiCaprio has embodied numerous memorable characters all through his profession, however when it comes all the way down to it, none are maybe as globally iconic as his main function in a little-known film known as Titanic.
Leo and Kate Winslet starred within the 1997 blockbuster as Jack and Rose, and their stellar performances shortly solidified them as one of the recognizable onscreen duos in cinema historical past.
Nevertheless, in line with their director, the pairing was near being scrapped.
Sitting all the way down to retrace the behind-the-scenes magic of a few of his most iconic titles with GQ this week, James Cameron recalled the contentious casting course of for Titanic.
First off, the filmmaker defined that hiring Kate for the main half was a no brainer and occurred “pretty early on” within the seek for their stars.
Regardless of having initially thought of Gwyneth Paltrow for Rose, Kate got here in and gave a “unbelievable” audition, immediately bagging herself the gig.
As for her costar, the method wasn’t such easy crusing, if you happen to’ll excuse the pun.
With Kate firmly on board, the seek for Jack was underway, and having not too long ago scored his first Oscar nomination for What’s Consuming Gilbert Grape in 1994, Leo was up.
James recalled his first assembly with Leo and mirrored on the inevitable buzz across the younger film star.
“I’m sitting in my convention room, ready to satisfy an actor, and I go searching and all the ladies from your complete workplace are within the assembly,” he mentioned with fun. “They simply all needed to satisfy Leo. It was hysterical.”
Unsurprisingly, Leo’s first assembly was a roaring success, with James saying that he “charmed” everyone, himself included. Nevertheless, this wasn’t fairly sufficient to seal the deal.
Earlier than they may supply him the half, Leo must crew up with Kate for a display check, which is the place issues acquired slightly tough.
“He got here again a few days later, and I had the digital camera set as much as report the video,” the director recalled. “He didn’t know he was going to check. He thought it was one other assembly to satisfy Kate.”
At this level, James mentioned that Leo refused to learn with Kate, practically bringing the audition to an abrupt ending.
“I mentioned, ‘Okay, we’ll simply go within the subsequent room, and we’ll run some traces and I’ll video it.’ And he mentioned, ‘You imply, I’m studying?’ I mentioned, ‘Yeah.’ He mentioned, ‘Oh, I don’t learn,’” James remembered. “I shook his hand and mentioned, ‘Thanks for coming by.’”
Wanting to get the half, the sudden dismissal shook Leo and prompted him to rethink, asking: “Wait, wait, wait. If I don’t learn, I don’t get the half? Identical to that?”
In response, James set the report straight, making it clear that Leo wouldn’t be allowed to chop corners if he needed to be forged.
“‘Oh, yeah. Come on. This can be a large film that’s going to take two years of my life, and also you’ll be gone doing 5 different issues whereas I’m doing post-production,’” he informed the actor. “‘So, I’m not going to fuck it up by making the unsuitable choice in casting. So, you’re going to learn, otherwise you’re not going to get the half.’”
Leo agreed to the display check, however apparently wasn’t overly enthusiastic — till the cameras began rolling.
“So he is available in, and he’s like each ounce of his total being is simply so unfavorable — proper up till I mentioned, ‘Motion.’ Then he became Jack,” James mentioned of the display check. “Kate simply lit up, they usually performed the scene. Darkish clouds had opened up, and a ray of solar got here down and lit up Jack. I’m like, ‘All proper. He’s the man.’”
After all, you don’t want us to inform you that he clearly made the precise choice, with Leo and Kate’s palpable onscreen chemistry serving to launch the film to stratospheric ranges of success.
Wanting again on his selection, the Academy Award winner mirrored on how “fragile” the casting course of could be, and the way it can outline the success of a film, together with the remainder of an actor’s profession.
“You attempt to think about that film with out Leo or Kate, it’s very laborious to do,” James mentioned, acknowledging that on the time Leo was forged, the film had been barely out of his consolation zone.
He mentioned that Leo — who was 21 when Titanic was shot — had been keen to provide Jack’s character a extra sophisticated edge, saying that he’d even steered they alter the script to provide him “some affliction” and a “traumatic factor from the previous.”
Nevertheless, James felt this wasn’t essential and proceeded to provide him some pointers to assist him execute the efficiency in a extra refined means.
“I mentioned, ‘Look, you’ve completed all these nice characters that every one have an issue, whether or not it’s habit or no matter it’s…you’ve gotta learn to maintain the middle and never have all that stuff,’” he informed Leo. “‘Then you definately’ll be prepared for this,’” he added.
This was apparently a serious turning level for the actor and finally helped him to grasp the function.
“The second I mentioned that, it clicked for him that this was a very laborious, difficult movie for him,” James recalled. “[Leo] didn’t need one thing that was straightforward, he needed one thing that was laborious, and that’s been his intuition since then.”
