It goes without saying that Titanic is and will always be one of the most iconic movies of all time.
And I think it's safe to say that a lot of the movie's appeal has to do with the amazing onscreen chemistry (and performances) between Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Well, Kate starring opposite Leo almost didn't happen 'cause the producers of the movie originally wanted Claire Danes for the role of Rose.
Claire recently spoke about it while doing an interview with Dax Shepard on his Armchair Expert podcast. According to Claire, she wasn't interested in doing the movie 'cause she had just done Romeo + Juliet, saying:
I think I did [have the role], I’m not entirely clear on that. There was strong interest, but honestly, like, I’d just made this romantic epic with Leo in Mexico City — which is where they were going to shoot Titanic, and I just didn’t have it in me.
Honestly, I could see why the producers of Titanic would want to reunite the two of them onscreen again, because Claire and Leo were perfect together in Romeo + Juliet.
Claire also added that Leo was "wrestling" with whether or not to accept the role of Jack, saying:
Leo and I shared a manager at the time, and we were there at the office... Leo had this rental like red convertible, some, like, hot rod-dy car. And he was kinda doing, going in circles in the parking lot. And I knew he was wrestling with the decision to do that movie or not and he just looked up at me, and he said, "I’m doing it. I’m doing it." ...And I could see he wasn’t sure, but he was like, "Fuck it, I gotta do this thing." And I looked down on him going, like, I totally understand why you are doing it. And I’m not ready for that.
When asked about whether she had any regrets about not doing Titanic, Claire said she had "zero regret" and that she knew she wasn't ready for it:
I think I really wasn't ready for it...zero regret. I was just really clear about it, I wasn't conflicted, I wasn't. ...And, as I said, I think it was going to propel me into something [a level of fame] I knew I didn't have the resources to cope with.
So, there you have it: Claire turned down one of the biggest movies of all time 'cause she had the foresight to know that she wasn't ready for it. We have to stan.
