The grandest blockbuster of its era was Titanic. Fans fell in love with the movie when it was released in 1997, which resulted in more than $2 billion in worldwide sales. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet were a great match.
Like Romeo and Juliet, Rose and Jack were infamously star-crossed lovers. Fans might be surprised to find that there were quite a few actors and women in line to play Rose and Jack before Winslet and DiCaprio. Titanic probably wouldn’t have been the same with any other stars, though.
Gwyneth Paltrow, one of them, kind of regrets declining the part.
In “Titanic,” Gwyneth Paltrow was ready to portray Rose.
By the time James Cameron was ready to cast Titanic, Paltrow had already become a well-known name. She was raised in the entertainment business. Her father Bruce was a producer, while her mother was an actress. She had already contributed to a significant number of films, but when the opportunity to play Titanic arose, she declined.
She still doesn’t know why, and in a talk she had with Howard Stern, she admitted that while she kind of regrets it, she tries not to think too much about the past. “I ask myself, “Why the heck did I say yes to that?’ as I reflect on the decisions I’ve made. And you reject that?” especially the film Titanic
Not just Gwyneth Paltrow but other actors and actresses turned down the role of Rose.
When Cameron invited Claire Danes to play the role of Rose, Claire Danes likewise declined, but she is fully aware of her decision. Danes claims that she declined the opportunity to work with DiCaprio on two consecutive films.
They released their Romeo and Juliet version the year before Titanic, and Danes didn’t want to get too identified with any particular on-screen co-star, even if it was DiCaprio.
Matthew McConaughey almost landed the part of Jack, but Winslet wouldn’t allow that happen. She requested DiCaprio play Jack when she was offered the role of Rose.
Even at the Cannes Film Festival, she allegedly pursued him to get him to accept the role. She had excellent intuition. DiCaprio was the ideal candidate for the role, and Titanic would ultimately serve as the catalyst for the actor’s career. At first, he was hesitant to accept the role. DiCaprio worried that playing Jack would label him as a Hollywood hunk.
He didn’t want to put himself in a box because he had his heart set on a career as a serious actor. Although Jack was undoubtedly a hunk, Titanic’s Best Picture triumph at the Academy Awards helped DiCaprio establish himself as a serious performer.