"I thought she was boring": Leonardo DiCaprio was almost not in Titanic and director James Cameron had to twist his arm
James Cameron had to give Leonardo DiCaprio a "pig's trotter" to make him star in Titanic. The 68-year-old director directed the hit 1977 film that starred DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, but said he had to convince the actor to appear in the film, which resulted in a standing ovation, as he thought it the script was boring.
He didn't want to be a leading man," James told People magazine. "I really had to twist his arm to be in the movie. He didn't want to do it. He thought it was boring. it was actually a different challenge.”
To date, the film remains one of the highest grossing ever made, and Cameron recently stated that he "can't imagine" the film without its leads. Likewise, the director of Avarar commented: "I think about casting Leonardo and Kate in Titanic. Leo, the studio didn't want it; I had to fight for it."
Kate really liked her. And then Leonardo decided that he didn't want to make the film. So I had to convince him."
You think that in any of those places, if that had really frayed, it would have been somebody else and it wouldn't have been that movie. And I can't imagine that movie without him and her."
Cameron recently pointed out that DiCaprio nearly lost the role in the audition process because he had a bad attitude in a screen test with Winslet. "I shook his hand and said, 'Thank you for coming.'" And he said, "Wait, wait, wait. If I don't read, I don't get the part? Just like that?"
And I said, 'Oh yeah. Go. This is a giant movie that's going to take two years of my life, and you're going to go do five other things while I'm in post-production. So, I'm not going to screw it up by making the wrong casting decision.” James also told Leo that he was going to read or he wouldn't get the role.
The film will be re-released in theaters on February 10 to celebrate its 25th anniversary and there is a new poster to promote it.
