‘Titanic’ Star Kate Winslet: ‘Nothing Could Have Prepared’ Her for ‘Disorienting’ Film Shoot

Filming James Cameron’s Titanic has become the stuff of moviemaking legend. The shoot, which took almost a year to complete, was plagued with many different problems: from Cameron’s temper to soup poisoning to crew members quitting. However, according to Kate Winslet, who played Rose DeWitt Bukater, “nothing could have prepared” her for what she called a “disorienting” filming experience.

Kate Winslet suffered many hardships during the production of ‘Titanic’

The Titanic shoot took place over six months in Rosarito Beach, Mexico. Filming was strenuous for everyone involved.

In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Kate Winslet called filming the story of the famed ocean liner “an ordeal.” During the course of production, she nearly drowned, got the flu, and was constantly cold from being immersed in icy water.

She told the publication, “I chipped a small bone in my elbow. At one point, I had deep bruises all over my arms. I looked like a battered wife.”

Winsley also slipped on a replica of the ship’s deck, where she got a gash on her right knee. The tough shoot left her and other cast members exhausted.

Kate Winslet said ‘nothing could have prepared’ her for the ‘disorienting’ film shoot

Filming Titanic not only dragged on for months but the cast and crew also put in 19-hour days. Kate Winslet didn’t realize just how demanding the process of making the movie would be when she was cast in the role of the film’s heroine.

“The first day started at 5 a.m. and went on to 1 a.m.,” Winslet told The Los Angeles Times of shooting the film. “Nothing could have prepared me for it.”

She continued, “There were quite a few 20-hour days. And two-thirds of it was night shooting because the Titanic sank at night.”

“It was every man for himself on the set. You had to ensure that you snatched some sleep during the day with a black eye mask on. Sometimes you’d find yourself having lunch at 2 a.m. or breakfast at 4 p.m. It was very disorienting,” Winslet concluded.

She admitted the actors ‘got off easy’ when it came to James Cameron’s reported temper

Winslet said that while she and the film’s other actors didn’t bear the brunt of James Cameron’s reported temper, she felt for the crew who did. She believes Cameron didn’t take his frustration out on his actors for fear their performances wouldn’t remain up to par.

“He’s a nice guy, but the problem was that his vision for the film was as clear as it was,” she says. “He has a temper like you wouldn’t believe. As it was, the actors got off lightly. I think Jim knew he couldn’t shout at us the way he did to his crew because our performances would be no good.”

She also shared Cameron was a “really tough nut to crack. There were times I was genuinely frightened of him.”

However, “I did like him, and I did come to understand him,” she stresses. “There were times he was very understanding. Logistically, it was a very tough film for him, as much as anyone. By the end, I was existing on about four hours of sleep a day, but Jim was existing on three.”

Titanic recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of its big-screen release. A remastered 4K version of the film with a new higher frame rate debuted in theaters in February 2023.