We always thought the two actors in successful movies were the best of friends, just like Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in Titanic. How mistaken we were. Let us consider the 1996 movie Romeo + Juliet as an example, which is one of Baz Luhrmann’s most cherished works. DiCaprio and Claire Danes played the titular star-crossed lovers in the film.
According to several reports, Danes and DiCaprio did not always agree, with the former finding the Titanic actor’s constant pranks annoying. At the time, the actress was only 17 and DiCaprio was 21. The actor reportedly thought Danes was “uptight”, and the young actress considered her Romeo + Juliet co-star to be a little immature.
Thus, it is possible that the 44-year-old actress declined Titanic out of desperation to avoid working with DiCaprio again. In any case, it might be challenging to imagine anyone else in James Cameron’s Titanic besides Winslet playing Rose.
Why Claire Danes Refused To Appear In Leonardo DiCaprio’s Titanic?
Many well-known actors lined up to potentially play the lead role in Titanic because the movie appeared to have everything going for it. According to reports, actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jared Leto, Winona Ryder, Rob Lowe, Lindsay Lohan, and Matthew McConaughey were all considered for the roles.
Another prominent actor who has been offered the role of Rose in Titanic was the Stardust actress. Although getting that role was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, Claire Danes passed up the opportunity to star in Titanic.
Danes discussed skipping the Titanic in a 2020 appearance on the renowned podcast Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard. She gave Shepard a fairly resounding yes when he asked whether it was true that she had been asked to play Rose.
“I think I did. I’m not entirely clear on that. There was strong interest.”
Danes continued by describing the factors that led her to reject the role of Rose. She could not do that again after having just starred with DiCaprio in Romeo + Juliet, as she clearly explained:
“Honestly I had just made this romantic epic with Leo [DiCaprio] in Mexico City, which is where they were going to shoot Titanic and I just didn’t have it in me.”
Danes, then 17, had just finished filming Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, in which she played the female lead (Juliet Capulet) opposite DiCaprio’s Romeo. At the time, she even acknowledged having a “crush” on The Revenant star.
Claire Danes Had a ‘Crush’ on Her Romeo + Juliet Co-star?
When Romeo + Juliet was released, Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes‘ on-screen romance captured the hearts of millions of viewers. Off-screen, however, things were different, as they reportedly hated working together in Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film. They were two different personalities, to put it simply. The Telegraph stated as follows:
“Danes allegedly became fed up with DiCaprio’s habit of playing pranks on the cast and crew, while [DiCaprio] in his turn found Danes annoyingly reserved and uptight.”
Despite reportedly having a rocky relationship with her Romeo + Juliet co-star, Danes had soft romantic feelings for DiCaprio. The mother of three acknowledged in an interview with W Magazine that she had a slight schoolgirl crush on the Inception actor while they were filming Romeo + Juliet.
But the Temple Grandin actress also admitted that her crush on her co-star was “problematic”:
“That was problematic. I couldn’t really have a crush on the guy I was professionally having a crush on! Quite a few gay men have talked to me about the fact that when they were kids watching Romeo + Juliet, they were confused about who they wanted to kiss. It was all about Leo! And I completely understand.”
Despite these alleged conflicts, the film’s acclaimed director was still able to capture the magic between Danes and DiCaprio on screen. The movie succeeded in grossing over $147 million in contrast to its $14.5 million budget, and critics gave it generally positive reviews.
Romeo + Juliet is streaming on Max, and Titanic is available on Netflix.
Source- Armchair Expert; The Telegraph
