Did you know Matthew McConaughey had a shot at becoming Titanic's leading man, Jack Dawson? A newsletter recently unveiled the truth behind the casting decision of the acclaimed 1990s James Cameron flick and the five words that took the dream away.
How Did Matthew McConaughey Lose the Titanic Lead Role?
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Journalist Matthew Belloni's newsletter, What I'm Hearing, features an excerpt from Titanic producer Jon Landau's posthumous book, The Bigger Picture, which pretty much laid out what allegedly happened to Matthew McConaughey's audition for Jack Dawson.
According to the text, McConaughey was brought in to film a scene with Kate Winslet for a chemistry check, as most on-screen couples must undergo. As Laundau put it, they wanted to get a feel if they worked together, "Not just how [they] look on film but how they interact."
The thing is, Kate seemed "taken with his presence and charm." But here's where things went wrong. Matthew did the scene with a Southern accent. The character, Jack Dawson, was an orphan from Chippewa Falls trying to make his way back to the US.
James Cameron reportedly made one request to the True Detective star, "That's great. Now let's try it a different way." Which meant losing the accent. Guess how Matthew reacted?
"No. That was pretty good. Thanks," and ultimately got crossed off the list.
That said, here's what DiCaprio did that made him more suited to portray Jack Dawson.
What Did Leonardo DiCaprio Do That Fit Jack Dawson More?
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Leonardo DiCaprio rose to become the A-list celebrity we know him today, thanks to James Cameron's Titanic. Heck, he took home a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for it!
In 2022, Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron told GQ that while DiCaprio was perfect to be Dawson, they had a small disagreement over creative differences.
When Cameron wanted DiCaprio to read the script for an impromptu test shoot, the actor said, "Oh, I don't read." The director then said that if he didn't read, he wouldn't get the part, which prompted DiCaprio to reluctantly follow his instructions.
DiCaprio read through lines and knocked his audition out of the park.
"Kate just lit up... dark clouds had opened up and a ray of sun came down and lit up Jack," Cameron added, "I'm like, 'Alright, he's the guy.'"
For folks interested in rewatching Titanic, it's available on Disney+.
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