Late Titanic producer Jon Landau has claimed that Matthew McConaughey lost out on playing Jack Dawson due to his Southern drawl.
The 55-year-old Hollywood star was one of the contenders to play the doomed lover who was ultimately portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio opposite Kate Winslet’s Rose.
The megahit blockbuster about the ill-fated ship and its catastrophic sinking in 1912 could have looked very different had the Interstellar star clinched the job.
In his posthumous memoir – The Bigger Picture: My Blockbuster Life & Lessons Learned Along The Way – Landau recalled what went wrong during the actor’s audition despite Winslet being ‘taken with Matthew, his presence and charm.’
In an excerpt of the November book obtained by Matthew Belloni’s What I’m Hearing newsletter, Landau wrote that Texan actor executed his audition in a Southern accent.
Director James Cameron then allegedly told McConaughey: ‘That’s great, now let’s try it a different way’, to which he responded: ‘No. That was pretty good. Thanks.’
Landau – also behind the Avatar series – then added: ‘Let’s just say, that was it for McConaughey.’
In 2021, the successful movie star recalled his audition with Winslet on Rob Lowe’s podcast Literally! with Rob Lowe.
‘So I went and read with Kate Winslet, and it was not one of the auditions — they filmed it so it was like into screen test time.
‘After we left, you know, it was one of those ones where they, like, 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.’
He also refuted the rumours that he had been offered the role and turned it down, even going so far as to confirm it with Cameron to make sure he hadn’t accidentally missed out on the role of a lifetime.
Of course, that didn’t prevent him from having a thriving career with an Oscar for his performance in Dallas Buyers Club and lead roles in hit movies like How to Lose A Guy in Ten Days.
Oscar-winning producer Landau died aged 63 in July 2024 and was hailed an ‘extraordinary talent’.
At the time, Winslet was one of several who penned a tribute to him in which she called him ‘the kindest and best of men’.
She added: ‘He was a man who was rich with compassion and exceptional at supporting and nurturing teams of phenomenal creative people.
‘His strength in life was knowing the importance of family, at home and at work. He was always full of smiles and gratitude. I can’t believe I am writing this, can’t believe he is gone.’
The Titanic movie has been shrouded in lore since its release almost three decades ago – not least around the touch-too-small door that Jack eventually drifts away from and dies at the end of the movie.
And it continues to be a considerable force in the movie industry, grossing a whopping $2.2billion (£1.6billion) worldwide, staying one of the highest-earning movies ever.
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