Matthew McConaughey lost out on 'Titanic' lead role after refusing director's request
In an excerpt of "Titanic" producer Jon Landau's memoir, "The Bigger Picture," obtained by Matthew Belloni's What I'm Hearing newsletter, the late producer detailed McConaughey's audition for the role of Jack Dawson in the Academy Award-winning movie.
"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," Landau wrote. "Kate was taken with Matthew, his presence and charm. Matthew did the scene with the drawl."
According to the book, after McConaughey completed the scene in his signature Texas accent, director James Cameron told the actor, "That's great, now let's try it a different way," to which the actor allegedly responded, "No. That was pretty good. Thanks."
"Let's just say, that was it for McConaughey," Landau recalled in the book.
The role famously went to Leonardo DiCaprio, who had made a name for himself in films such as "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and "Romeo + Juliet" beforehand. However, his role as Jack Dawson led him to become an international star and teen heartthrob.
McConaughey has spoken about his audition process for the film in the past, telling Rob Lowe during a 2021 appearance on his podcast, "Literally! With Rob Lowe," that after his audition, he "really thought it was going to happen."
"So I went and read with Kate Winslet, and it was not one of the auditions — they filmed it so it was like into screen test time," he said. "After we left, you know, it was one of those ones where they, like, followed me, and when we got outside, they were like, 'That went great.' I mean, kind of, like, hugs. I really thought it was going to happen. It did not."
Winslet, who went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Rose Dewitt Bukater, recalled auditioning with McConaughey while on "The Late Show" in 2017, calling his audition "completely fantastic," but admitted the movie would have been different if he was cast, adding "It just wouldn't have been the whole 'Jack and Rose, Kate and Leo' thing."
While he did miss out on starring in the epic love story, McConaughey's career did not suffer. He went on to win an Academy Award for his role in "Dallas Buyers Club" and was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on season one of "True Detective."
While on Lowe's podcast, McConaughey also shut down the longstanding rumor that he was offered the role of Jack and turned it down, saying he even asked the film's director, James Cameron, to confirm he was never offered the part.
"Not factual. I did not get offered that role," he said. "For a while, I was saying, 'I gotta find that agent. They're in trouble…'I did not ever get the offer."
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