Gwyneth Paltrow Once Laughed off Speculation That She Regretted Rejecting ‘Titanic’: ‘Are You Insane?’
As many know, actor Gwyneth Paltrow once had the opportunity to star in the 1997 hit Titanic.
But at one point, the actor not only laughed off the idea she regretted her decision, she also felt she made the right call turning it down.
Gwyneth Paltrow was in serious consideration for ‘Titanic’
As many know, Titanic was one of the biggest movies of all time, turning Kate Winslet and especially Leonardo DiCaprio into megastars. But before Winslet ended up on the ill-fated boat, Paltrow was also heavily considered for the role. But in an interview with The Howard Stern (via Yahoo), the Oscar-winner hinted that turning down Titanic might not have been the best choice.
“I look back at the choices I’ve made and think, ‘Why the hell did I say yes to that? And no to that?’ And you know, you look at the big picture and think: There’s a universal lesson here,” Paltrow said. “What good is it to hold onto roles?”
Gwyneth Paltrow once allegedly turned down ‘Titanic’ for ‘Great Expectations’
Gwyneth Paltrow made a couple of film choices that critics questioned back in the late 90s. She reportedly turned down the 1998 satirical film The Avengers for the romantic comedy Sliding Doors. She also allegedly turned down Titanic for Great Expectations, which was based on a Charles Dickens novel of the same name.
Sliding Doors experienced a bit more success than The Avengers, which was considered a flop at the box-office. But as many know, Titanic broke records and went on to become one of cinema’s highest grossing films.
In a 1998 interview with The Morning Call, Paltrow briefly discussed her decision to snub The Avengers and Titanic for Sliding Doors and Great Expectations. When asked if she had any regrets, she laughed off the question. This was because at the time Paltrow felt Great Expectations had what Titanic lacked.
“Are you insane? Great Expectations and Sliding Doors had great characters and great stories. Titanic had a ship,” Paltrow quipped.
Ironically, her Great Expectations co-star Ethan Hawke also auditioned for Titanic. Unlike Paltrow, however, he didn’t turn down the role, but rather simply lost out to DiCaprio. Still, the Training Day actor later felt not getting Titanic was a blessing in disguise for him.
“I sat there watching him and it was like watching a Beatle. The closest thing I’ve ever come to that frenzy. All the girls wanted to f*** him and all the guys wanted to fight him. I went to myself: ‘Wow man, I’m glad I didn’t get that part,'” Hawke once told The Telegraph. “But you know, secretly, I couldn’t help thinking that if I had got it maybe I could have lived exactly the life I wanted to.”
James Cameron once joked that actors who turned down ‘Titanic’ should come ‘whimpering back’
In an interview with MTV News, Cameron was once asked to verify the rumors regarding certain actors turning down Titanic. The Terminator filmmaker wouldn’t call out actors by name. But he didn’t think turning down Titanic for certain reasons was the smartest move to make.
“I will neither confirm nor deny,” Cameron said. “I just don’t think that’s cool to talk about actors that either chose not to do it, or were unavailable, or stupidly decided that there wasn’t enough meat on the bone of the character, or whatever it was.”
Cameron then quipped that the actors who turned down his billion-dollar film should call him back for another chance.
“They should’ve come whimpering back afterwards and said, ‘I will never second guess you again as long as I live.’ But it’s too late. You got one chance, that’s it. And you might want to think about this next time when you get called,” Cameron said.
