Cameron: DiCaprio almost didn't play in Titanic because he didn't want to audition

Leonardo DiCaprio almost didn't play Jack in 1997's Titanic simply because he didn't want to audition for the role, director James Cameron recalled in an interview with GQ magazine.

“I remember the first Leon meeting, and then Leon’s audition,” Cameron recalled.

"It's funny because I'm sitting in a conference room waiting to meet an actor, right? And then I look around, and for some reason all the women in the office are in the room. The female executive producers are there, which is normal. But why is our accountant here? They all want to meet Leon. It's crazy. I look around again and I think, 'I think I've found the answer to my question.'"

Cameron said DiCaprio charmed everyone at the meeting, including him. However, the director wanted to see what kind of chemistry he would have with Rose actress Kate Winslet. A few days later, DiCaprio showed up again, but he didn't know Cameron was auditioning him.

Cameron said DiCaprio told him, "Oh, I don't read the script." Cameron then shook his hand and thanked him for coming. DiCaprio was about to leave, but then he asked, "Wait, wait, wait. You mean if I don't read the script, I can't get the role?"

Cameron explained to him that the film "is going to be a huge movie that's going to take me two years, and you can shoot five other movies while I'm doing post-production and all the models. So I can't screw it up. I made the wrong decision in casting, so you either say the lines or you don't get the part."

DiCaprio had no choice but to read for Cameron, who continued to observe him and felt that "every part of him was very negative." However, when the director shouted "action," DiCaprio "became Jack, and Kate was instantly in the state. Then they acted out the whole scene and he played his role. It was like a dark cloud lifted and a ray of sunshine came down and illuminated Jack. I was like: 'Okay, he's the one I'm looking for.'"

Before Titanic, DiCaprio's romantic films such as The Edge and Romeo and Juliet received good responses, but they did not really open up his global popularity like Cameron's films. Although he still took some time to play various roles after becoming a movie star to get rid of his fixed impression as the male lead in romantic movies, his extraordinary acting talent has since won the consensus of fans around the world.

Titanic has been at the top of the global box office since its release, until Cameron's Avatar broke the record. Avatar 2: The Way of Water will be released on December 16. Cameron said that the film must top the box office again to make a profit, so let's wait and see if he can make history again.