Matthew McConaughey once lost out on a career-defining role in James Cameron’sTitanic, and the reason why has now been revealed. 1997’sTitanicis still a masterpiece over 25 years later, withLeonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet playing two lovers of different social classes, Jack and Rose, as they are caught in the disaster of the ship’s maiden voyage.
Titanicbecame a cultural phenomenon, generating $2.264 billion at the worldwide box office and an impressive legacy for DiCaprio and Winslet. However, there were plenty of other actors who were considered forTitanic’scast.Matthew McConaughey and other A-listers, like Paul Rudd, Ethan Hawke, and Christian Bale, were all rumored for the lead role, but ultimately lost out.
According toPuck, which provides an excerpt fromTitanicproducer Jon Landau’s memoirThe Bigger Picture,Matthew McConaughey lost the lead role inTitanicbecause he didn’t want to drop his Southern drawl. While Winslet was “taken with Matthew, his presence and charm,” Cameron suggested a different take, which McConaughey shot down. Check out the exchange in the excerpt below:
We brought him in to do a scene with Kate [Winslet]. You want to check for chemistry, not just how people look on film but how they interact. Kate was taken with Matthew, his presence and charm. Matthew did the scene with the drawl. “That’s great,” said Jim [Cameron]. “Now let’s try it a different way.” Matthew said, “No. That was pretty good. Thanks.” Let’s just say, that was it for McConaughey.
What This Means For Matthew McConaughey
The exchange between McConaughey and Cameron seemingly suggests the actor felt his screen test went as well as it could, and therefore, the director’s suggestion of trying it “a different way” was unnecessary. In a 2018 interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, McConaughey expressed as much, stating that he “Had a good audition. Walked away pretty confident that I had it.”
WhileMcConaughey has featured in plenty of rom-coms, which suggests he had the capacity forTitanic, his drawl was something that Cameron felt didn’t fit the character, as he suggested something “different” and ultimately decided on DiCaprio. Thankfully,McConaughey missing out onTitanic’slead role didn’t affect the actor much, as he has risen to prominence through other blockbusters.
Our Take On Matthew McConaughey’s Titanic Role
Considering McConaughey rose to prominence for his roles in things like the coming-of-age comedy filmDazed and Confused, which has since become a cult classic, his signature style would have madeTitanicvery different. As Winslet stated onThe Late Showback in 2017,“It just wouldn’t have been the whole ‘Jack and Rose, Kate and Leo’ thing.”
It’s hard to imagine McConaughey as Jack inTitanic.However, there’s no doubt that we would have seen a considerably different, more charming take on the character, befitting McConaughey’s iconic style. Therefore, in a way, I’m glad McConaughey missed out onTitanic,which was successful for DiCaprio and Winslet’s chemistry, as McConaughey has done some other great movies instead.
