Toward the end of the millennium, audiences were treated to a cinematic masterpiece that would soon be revered as a classic part of cinema. 1997’s Titanic was, is, and probably will be considered a work of art for generations to come, all thanks to the legendary vision and the execution of legendary director James Cameron, and the exceptional performance delivered by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.
With the release of the film, Leonardo DiCaprio, who was gaining notoriety at the time, suddenly found a new surge of popularity that would help solidify his legacy as one of the most talented performers in the industry, along with Kate Winslet, who would become a star among many through the movie’s medium. With all this fame and fortune that followed after, it is hard to think DiCaprio was on the verge of ditching the role until his friend from the MCU convinced him otherwise.
Paul Rudd Convinced Leonardo DiCaprio To Star In Titanic
The role of Jack Dawson might be hard to imagine being played by anyone else other than the legendary Leonardo DiCaprio. Shooting to the superstardom that he now resides in with the help of his role in Titanic is something of awe. The performance by him and Kate Winslet is still considered a thing of beauty by many critics and fans of the movie alike. But it’s hard to imagine that originally, he intended to not take the role until Paul Rudd stepped in.
The more interesting part of this narration is the fact that even before DiCaprio, the script was sent to Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder for the roles of Jack and Rose, but they declined due to reasons. Then, the role of these characters was proposed to DiCaprio and Winslet. While Winslet was quick to jump on the offer, The Revenant had some reservations about the role, but his co-star from Romeo+Juliet talked him into it. On an episode of The Graham Norton Show, Paul Rudd said:
“I was riding to the place with Leo and he said, ‘I just got offered this movie, and it’s a big movie.’ And he had done indie films up to that point. He said, ‘It’s a studio movie, it’s Titanic. I said, ‘That’s incredible!’ And I knew a lot about Titanic because my dad just talked about it at the table, And we had a conversation about it and [DiCaprio] was saying, ‘Oh, like I don’t know what I’ll do. I remember saying, ‘You should do it! I don’t think I had any say, but it is kind of interesting to think back on that. Cause he did it. He did the movie.”
Although this might seem kind of insignificant in the grand scheme of things, that little push of confidence and motivation is many times, enough to give people a direction.
You may also like: James Cameron Debunks Leonardo DiCaprio Getting Saved Theory in Titanic, Proves It With Cold, Hard Science
What’s Next For Paul Rudd?
As Phase 4 of the MCU ends this year, Marvel Studios has geared up Paul Rudd to put his suit back on and become Ant-Man once more in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where he’s all set to traverse the uncharted lands of the Quantum Realm. With the trailer of the movie now out, fans are going bonkers with the endless possibilities and the introduction of the next big bad of the MCU Kang The Conquerer.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, in cinemas on 17th February 2023
Source: The Graham Norton Show
