1997’s “Titanic” is one of the most iconic films of all time, and it effectively launched the careers of one of the greatest actors of a generation. Leonardo DiCaprio was already an Academy Award nominee before the film was released, but its success took him to superstardom.
Another A-list actor recently revealed that he was close to getting the part of Jack Dawson, but he put an old rumor to rest in the process.
During Monday’s episode of “The Bright Side” podcast, Matthew McConaughey discussed the process of auditioning for the role, and he addressed one producer’s claim about why it went to Leonardo DiCaprio.
McConaughey’s ‘Titanic’ Reveal
“That’s rumor,” McConaughey said when asked if he didn’t get the role because of his Texan accent. “There was never any discussion about an accent or anything.”
McConaughey simply said that “I just didn’t get the job.” His story challenges the one told by late producer Jon Landau in an upcoming memoir.
In a teaser for the book obtained by Matthew Beloni’s “What I’m Hearing” newsletter, Landau said Kate Winslet “was taken with Matthew, his presence and charm.”
Landau also said that director James Cameron requested McConaughey to repeat his delivery of a line during the audition process, a request that the actor allegedly refused.
“Let’s just say, that was it for McConaughey,” Landau said.
The actor told “The Bright Side” that he had a “great” audition and that he was confident in getting the role. In the end, Cameron would go with DiCaprio to lead what was once the highest-grossing film of all time.
“I felt pretty confident that maybe I’d landed it. But I didn’t,” McConaughey said. In earlier interviews, McConaughey has also noted that he was never offered the role, and was never in a position to turn it down or refuse it.
McConaughey and DiCaprio’s Paths to Fame
The two actors would take divergent but successful paths throughout the rest of their careers. McConaughey became a reliable leading man across several genres, while DiCaprio emerged as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
McConaughey and DiCaprio would join forces on 2013’s “Wolf of Wall Street,” directed by Martin Scorsese. DiCaprio won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2015, two years after McConaughey won it for the film “Dallas Buyers Club.”
DiCaprio could be in line for the award a second time this year following the release of “One Battle After Another,” the Paul Thomas Anderson film earning critical acclaim. We’ll see if the Academy nominates the “Titanic” star – and if McConaughey can earn a second Best Actor award of his own in the future.
