Can you imagine Jack from Titanic to be Tobey Maguire? Yeah well, the film’s director himself can’t picture such a thing either.
On December 19, 2022, James Cameron’s Titanic will approach its 25th anniversary since its debut in 1997, and the Canadian filmmaker is understandably reminiscent of his work which ended up becoming a cinematic masterpiece in no time.
Having joined forces once again on the set of what is deemed to be an approaching blockbuster for Avatar: The Way of Water, Kate Winslet and James Cameron are remembering the 1997 romance/drama, wherein the former starred alongside Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who turns out was almost not cast as the charming young artist in the movie. Keyword – almost, because the filmmaker was overwhelmingly sure that nobody else could surpass The Wolf of Wall Street star. Not even the MCU actor, Tobey Maguire.
Why James Cameron Didn’t Cast Tobey Maguire for Titanic
With the Inception star Leonardo DiCaprio and the renowned English actress Kate Winslet leading the movie, Titanic became one of the most highest-grossing movies of all time, earning $2.2 billion worldwide, something which James Cameron thinks wouldn’t have been possible without either of the two stars.
Speaking to ET, The Terminator director said how he “can’t imagine the movie” without either Winslet or DiCaprio in it.
And even though there had been talks about casting the Spider-Man actor, Tobey Maguire, for Jack Dawson’s role at that time, Cameron wasn’t certain about solidifying that decision.
“But he wasn’t really a leading man.”
However, while the Shutter Island star had managed to charm Cameron effortlessly, the latter still had the rest of the studio to convince for the casting of DiCaprio, and it wasn’t an easy feat either as the director pointed out just what a “tenuous” job it had been. “I’m pretty careful with my casting,” he mentioned.
Nevertheless, Cameron stuck to his decision and 25 years later he is still proud of it. He also revealed how they’re going to “re-release Titanic in 3D” as “a 25-year commemorative” this upcoming Valentine’s Day. So, get ready to celebrate the day with a tissue box at hand for all the tears you’ll shed watching the movie.
Kate Winslet’s Take on Casting Someone Else for Titanic
Even Winslet, who reunited with Cameron on the set of Avatar 2, the sequel to the 2009 sci-fi/adventure film, noted how she can’t really think of any other actor stepping into the shoes of Jack other than The Revenant star.
While she’s “enormously proud of it [Titanic],” she too is of the firm belief that the way DiCaprio depicted Jack in the movie, nobody else would have been able to do such an impeccable job.
“I mean, I certainly can’t imagine it being anyone other than Leo. But also, I was not party to any of those conversations. I mean, like, how could it have ever not been Leo?”
One thing’s for sure though, DiCaprio’s ever-present charisma besides his talented acting definitely played a huge role in winning him the part in Titanic.
Avatar: The Way of Water is scheduled to release on December 16, 2022.
Titanic is available for streaming on Disney+.
Source: ET
