This Oscar Winner Came Seriously Close To Landing Leonardo DiCaprio's Role In Titanic

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet on the set of TitanicIt’s tough to imagine anyone nailing the iconic roles of Jack and Rose quite like Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, but it turns out that another star had the male lead in Titanic within his grasp at one point.A book by the hit film’s late producer Jon Landau is coming soon, with one excerpt recently being teased in entertainment journalist Matthew Belloni’s newsletter, What I’m Hearing.In the extract, Jon wrote about the audition process for Titanic, recalling what happened when future Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey came in to read for him and director James Cameron.“We brought him in to do a scene with Kate,” Jon recalled. “You want to check for chemistry – not just how people look on film but how they interact.”Unfortunately, while Kate was apparently “taken” with the actor, the team were seemingly less impressed with the fact that Matthew chose to retain his usual Southern accent for the audition (the character of Jack, lest we forget, was originally from Wisconsin in the Midwest of America).And when James Cameron told him “let’s try it a different way”, Matthew apparently responded: “No. That was pretty good. Thanks.”Matthew McConaughey at SXSW festival in March 2025Interestingly, Matthew’s own version of events differs slightly from this.He told the podcast Literally in 2021: “I went and read with Kate Winslet… they filmed it so it was, like, into screen test time. After we left, you know, it was one of those ones where they followed me and when we got outside they were like, ‘That went great’. I mean, kind of like hugs.“I really thought it was going to happen. It did not.”Matthew added: “The gossip over the years that I heard and would see written about me was that I had the role in Titanic and turned it down. Not factual. I did not get offered that role.”It’s worth noting, too, that Leo’s own audition didn’t exactly get off to the best start – and he almost missed out on the role completely after an awkward back-and-forth with James Cameron.Meanwhile, James has also claimed that he was initially reluctant to cast Kate Winslet as Rose, and even took some convincing as to why she was right for the role.READ MORE:Pedro Pascal Was Originally Cast In Another Of 2025's Biggest Films. Here's Why He Was ReplacedSally Hawkins Opens Up About The Real Reason She Quit The Paddington FranchiseGeorge Clooney Fires Back At Acting Critics With A Blunt 5-Word Message

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This Oscar Winner Came Seriously Close To Landing Leonardo DiCaprio's Role In Titanic

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