James Cameron's Titanic has gone down in history as one of the most profitable films of all time. Along with the movie's breathtakingly iconic soundtrack, Titanic's relatively large cast required meticulous casting decisions for various roles. Especially when the character played a main role in the plot or was based on a historical figure.
Leonardo DiCaprio played the role of third-class passenger Jack Dawson, the man who fell in love with first-class passenger Rose DeWitt Bukater despite the social status difference. While DiCaprio was deemed a perfect fit for the role, many critically acclaimed actors were actually considered for the part. In the end, Cameron must have felt that none of them could match DiCaprio's charm.
9 Matthew McConaughey Thought He Got The Part
Matthew McConaughey's breakthrough was his performance in the 1993 comedy Dazed and Confused. He later gained recognition in lead roles, including the 1996 film A Time to Kill. McConaughey guest-starred on Rob Lowe's podcast Literally! and talked about his Titanic audition experience.
He revealed he was past the audition stages and moved on to screen tests with Kate Winslet, and while he thought it went well, McConaughey was never offered the part. Fortunately, Titanic wasn't his only chance at fame, and McConaughey won Best Actor for his performance in the 2013 biopic Dallas Buyers Club.
8 Chris O’Donnell Was Too Busy As Robin
Chris O'Donnell gained critical acclaim and stardom after co-starring alongside Al Pacino in the 1992 drama Scent of a Woman. O'Donnell is also widely known for his portrayal of Dick Grayson/Robin in the 1995 Joel Schumacher film Batman Forever. Shortly after his DC Comics role, O'Donnell was a candidate for the role of Jack Dawson in Titanic. However, the actor was already committed to the 1997 film Batman & Robin. After Batman & Robin, O'Donnell took a two-year hiatus from acting until the 1999 film Cookie's Fortune.
7 Billy Crudup Didn't Want The Fame From Titanic
Billy Crudup was relatively new to the film industry when Titanic was being made, and despite how much the film would have jump-started his career, Crudup wasn't too upset about not getting the part. According to IMDb, Crudup wasn't a fan of the "intrusion" DiCaprio suffered from due to Titanic's popularity. Crudup went on to star in the 2003 Tim Burton film Big Fish as Will Bloom, and lent his voice in the English dub version of Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke as protagonist Ashitaka. He also starred as Dr. Henry Allen in Justice League, but was replaced with Ron Livingston for The Flash.
6 Johnny Depp Almost Starred In Titanic With His Ex-Fianceé
Before his frequent collaborations with Tim Burton, Johnny Depp first entered the film industry in the 1984 film A Nightmare on Elm Street. A decade later, Depp even starred alongside DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, which DiCaprio earned his first Academy Award nomination for. Depp was among the many actors considered to play Jack in Titanic, with Winona Ryder as Rose.
Depp and Ryder had previously played love interests in Burton's Edward Scissorhands, but the couple had broken up when casting for Titanic began, and that could have made things awkward. Depp later rose to international fame for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but it is unknown if he will reprise the role in further productions.
5 Stephen Dorff Didn't Really Like Titanic
Stephan Dorff began his career as a guest star on TV series like Diff'rent Strokes and Roseanne. Paul McCartney himself praised Dorff's portrayal of the "fifth Beatle" Stuart Sutcliffe in the 1994 film Backbeat, which is impressive considering McCartney didn't particularly enjoy the film in general. Dorff could have made it big in the industry if he had landed the role in Titanic, but he has said that he was never much of a fan of the film. Dorff later gained recognition for his role as Roland West in HBO's True Detective.
4 Jared Leto Refused To Audition For Titanic
Jared Leto's acting career began years before his role as Joker in the 2016 film Suicide Squad. Leto entered the industry on the TV series My So-Called Life before making his big screen debut in Jocelyn Moorhouse's How to Make an American Quilt. Leto allegedly refused to audition for the role of Jack in Titanic. His adamant refusal clearly didn't hurt his chance at stardom, since Leto has starred in films left and right since the 1990s. He recently appeared in lead roles for both House of Gucci and in the Marvel Comics film Morbius.
3 Tom Cruise Would Have Been An Odd Choice When Considering The Character's Age
Tom Cruise took the 1980s film scene by storm with his performances in Risky Business, Top Gun, and Rain Man. Cruise was also a prospective candidate to star in Titanic. Although, not much is known about Cruise's potential involvement in the film, the actor would have been a 35-year-old man playing a 20-year-old, so the age difference would have been a little weird.
This isn't the only leading role Cruise could have starred as. He backed out of Edward Scissorhands because of all his unanswered and strange questions to Burton. Despite losing out on Titanic, the Mission Impossible franchise and his many other film ventures have kept Cruise busy.
2 Christian Bale Was Skipped Because They Didn't Want Two British Leads
Christian Bale is best known for his method-acting approach to roles, which has often prompted the actor to lose or gain exponential amounts of weight. Shortly before Titanic, Bale was the voice behind Thomas in Disney's Pocahontas and he played Theodore "Laurie" Laurence in the 1994 film version of Little Women alongside Winona Ryder. Bale reportedly lost the role of Jack to DiCaprio because Cameron didn't want two British leads. Despite the rejection, Bale later rose to international fame for his performance as Batman in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy starting with the 2005 film Batman Begins.
1 Jeremy Sisto Even Did A Screen Test With Winslet
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Jeremy Sisto just came off the hype of the 1995 film Clueless for his minor role as Elton Tiscia and had even completed a screen test with Winslet for Titanic, but was ultimately passed on in favor of DiCaprio. The film would have been a huge turning point for Sisto's acting career. Sisto later gained recognition for his roles in NBC's Law & Order and HBO's Six Feet Under. It would have been interesting to see someone else in Jack's shoes, but nothing would have competed with DiCaprio and Winslet's captivating chemistry -- which blossomed into a lifelong friendship.