‘Titanic’: Which of Your Favorite Celebrities Were Almost Cast as Rose?
It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Kate Winslet for the part of Rose Dewitt Bukater in Titanic. But as it turns out, many other A-list celebrities could’ve played the role instead. Who were some of these actors? Keep reading to find out.
Kate Winslet practically begged James Cameron to cast her in ‘Titanic’
At just nineteen years old, Winslet was fully determined to get director James Cameron to cast her as the lead. While Winslet was an unknown actor at the time and was up against some of the most high-profile female celebrities in the business, the odds were completely stacked against her.
Yet Winslet fought tooth and nail to get the part, practically begging James Cameron after reading the screenplay. “I closed the script, wept floods of tears, and said, ‘Right, I’ve absolutely got to be a part of this. No two ways about it,'” she told Rolling Stone.
Then, fully determined to win the role, she bombarded Cameron with numerous pleads and gifts. She even gave him a bouquet of roses, according to Cosmopolitan. “A rose from your Rose,” the note attached said.
Winslet then received Cameron’s number from her agent and then called him on his car phone. “[James] was on the freeway, and he said, ‘I’m going somewhere.’ And I think he pulled over, and I said, ‘I just have to do this, and you are really mad if you don’t cast me.'”
Which celebrities could have played Rose in ‘Titanic’?
According to HuffPost, several of your favorite ’90s stars could have played Jack Dawson’s love interest in the Oscar-winning classic.
These celebrities include: Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Christina Applegate, Jennifer Connelly, Claire Danes, Geena Davis, Minnie Driver, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Emily Mortimer, Jeri Ryan, Winona Ryder, Tori Spelling, Nicollette Sheridan, Uma Thurman, Charlize Theron, Reese Witherspoon, Eliza Dushku, Gabrielle Anwar, Rosanna Arquette, Rose Byrne, Gabrielle Carteris, Marguerite Chapman, Amanda Donohoe, Claire Forlani, and Madonna.
“James took a risk in casting me,” Winslet told USA Today (Via Cosmopolitan.) “A lot of my contemporaries — Uma Thurman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Winona Ryder — were much more likely candidates. I got lucky.”
Kate Winslet begged Leonardo DiCaprio to play Jack in ‘Titanic’
Believe it or not, DiCaprio almost didn’t play Jack Dawson. Arguably the role responsible for his stardom, the actor was hesitant at first about taking on the part.
Considering he just starred in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, he had his doubts about taking on the role. This is due to the fact that DiCaprio didn’t want to be type-cast as a romantic “heartthrob” for the rest of his life.
Yet Winslet, being the determined person that she is, refused to take no for an answer.
According to Rolling Stone,
“Winslet discovered where DiCaprio was staying, and collared him in his hotel room. ‘I was thinking, ‘I’m going to persuade him to do this because I’m not doing it without him, and that’s all there is to it,’ she says. ‘I will have him.’ Because he is f*cking brilliant. ‘He’s a f*cking genius, and that was absolutely why.'”
And thus, DiCaprio and Winslet will forever go down in history as the beloved Jack and Rose.
