Throwback: When Kate Winslet Said Leonardo DiCaprio Was ‘Miserable’ While Filming Titanic
When Titanic was released, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, as Jack and Rose, became one of the most-loved onscreen couples Hollywood has ever had. The film claimed millions of hearts and broke box-office records for being the first-ever movie to make a billion dollars. The movie grossed a huge amount because of impeccable acting, mind-blowing cinematography done by James Cameron himself, and an equally dedicated crew of workers.
In an intimate interview with The Guardian, Kate Winslet reflected on youth and age, particularly hers and DiCaprio’s during the filming of Titanic. She recalled, “I turned 21 on that shoot, and Leo turned 22.” Winslet laughed at the suggestion that DiCaprio found the experience less than enjoyable. She said, “It wasn’t pleasant for any of us, but we were in it together. Though he had way more days off than I ever bloody did.” Winslet noted that she was raised to be resilient and grateful, not allowing herself to indulge in misery or share such feelings with a journalist.
At its release, Titanic was the highest-grossing film of all time until 2009, when James Cameron’s Avatar took that title. DiCaprio and Winslet, who had great on-screen chemistry, reunited in 2008 for Revolutionary Road, where they played a married couple. Winslet won a Golden Globe in 2009 for Best Actress in a Drama for that role.
Speaking candidly with Vanity Fair, Winslet looked back on the iconic “I’m Flying” scene from Titanic. While many would assume she was as starry-eyed as any other young actress in her shoes kissing DiCaprio, she laughed and told the publication, “My god, he’s quite the romancer, isn’t he? No wonder every young girl in the world wanted to be kissed by Leonardo DiCaprio,” before adding with a laugh, “It was not all it’s cracked up to be.”
“We kept doing this kiss, and I’ve got a lot of pale makeup on, and I would have to do our makeup checks—on both of us, between takes,” Winslet said. She ended up looking every time as though she had been “sucking a caramel chocolate bar” because DiCaprio’s makeup transferred onto her. Meanwhile, bits of DiCaprio’s darker makeup had been worn off on his face by Winslet’s paler cosmetics. “Oh God, it was such a mess,” she said with memories.
The struggles of filming that iconic scene didn’t end there. Winslet also shared how she banged her knee on the railing multiple times and needed several takes to perfect that moment. “This was a nightmare,” Winslet said. “Leo couldn’t stop laughing, and we had to reshoot this about four times because James Cameron wanted a very specific light for this, obviously, and the sunsets kept changing where we were.”
Even with the amount of turbulence incurred during the production, Titanic turned out to be a cinematic success; the film garnered 11 Oscars, including Best Picture. The legacy will live on—it stays very close to the top of the list of the biggest box-office hits ever made. Winslet revealed that she was very proud of the film, adding, “I do feel very proud of it because I feel that it is that film that just keeps giving. Whole other generations of people are discovering the film or seeing it for the first time, and there’s something extraordinary about that.”
However, Winslet confessed that there is one drawback to her association with the Titanic. As of this day, she cannot board a boat without being asked to recreate her iconic “I’m flying” scene. “It does my head in,” she confessed, admitting the request happens “every time, without fail.”
ALSO READ: Kate Winslet Remembers Titanic’s Kissing Scene with Lionardo DiCaprio to be a ‘Nightmare’
