MOVIE NEWS – Matthew McConaughey came very close to playing Jack Dawson in James Cameron’s smash hit Titanic, but the role ultimately went to Leonardo DiCaprio. During a screen test with Kate Winslet, one particular detail cost him the part: his trademark Texas accent.

It’s no secret that Matthew McConaughey was once in the running for the lead role in James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster Titanic. The film, which grossed $2.264 billion and ranks as the fourth-highest-grossing movie of all time, starred Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. But before Cameron and his team made their final choice, McConaughey auditioned alongside Winslet for the part of Jack Dawson – and didn’t cut.

According to producer Jon Landau’s posthumous memoir The Bigger Picture, McConaughey held on to his Texas accent, which ultimately worked against him. “We brought him in to do a scene with Kate,” Landau recalled in an account published by Puck. “When you do this, it’s about testing the chemistry – not just how they look on screen, but how they work together.”

Landau said Winslet was “captivated” by McConaughey’s “presence and charm”, but Cameron didn’t feel the same. “Matthew did the scene with the accent,” Landau said. “That’s great,” Jim replied. “Now let’s try it a different way.” McConaughey’s answer: “No. That was pretty good. Thanks.” That, Landau noted, was the end of his Titanic journey, and the role went to DiCaprio.

In a 2018 interview with THR, McConaughey recalled: “I wanted that role. The audition went well; I left feeling confident I had it. I didn’t. They never offered it to me.”

Winslet admitted in 2017 on The Late Show that her audition with McConaughey was “fantastic.” Cameron later told The Tonight Show in 2019 that while the crew liked McConaughey’s test, DiCaprio was their preferred choice.

In 2021, McConaughey addressed long-standing Titanic rumors on the Literally! With Rob Lowe podcast: “As far as I know, I was never offered the role. I auditioned well and thought I had the part, but I didn’t.”

Titanic earned 14 Oscar nominations and won 11, including Best Picture and Best Director. To this day, it remains Cameron’s third-highest-grossing film, behind Avatar (2009), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022).

Source: Sensacine