James Cameron's famous film "Titanic", shot in 1997, has become a cult disaster film of all time. The touching love story of third-class passenger Jack Dawson and aristocrat Rosa Dewitt Buckeyter against the backdrop of a sinking luxury liner hardly left anyone indifferent. And, probably, each person at least once, but watched this Oscar-winning film.
Everyone worked on the film: the director, the film crew, the animation studio, and the Titanic actors, whose names everyone knows today. Some of them then were just a rising star, and some had already become famous throughout the world, but work in the disaster film was perhaps the most high-profile and memorable in their career.
"Titanic": actors and roles
So, who are these actors who "drowned" with a luxury liner? Who became famous all over the world? After all, shooting in this film brought popularity to everyone, without exception.
The main actors of the Titanic are Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Work in the film brought them worldwide fame, multimillion-dollar fees and invitations to shoot in the most popular films.
The film "Titanic" played a lot of talented actors. Each role was original, amazing, unique and complex in its own way.
Rose and jack
When director James Cameron came up with the script for the disaster movie, he believed that the main couple of the Titanic - Jack Dawson and Rose Dewitt Buckeyter - are fictional characters. What was his surprise when, after completing work on the script, he found out that on the sunken ship, in fact, the passenger J. Dawson was sailing. The passenger's name was Joseph Dawson. He was an American, born in 1888, and died in the wreck of a ship.
The character of Rosa Dewitt Buckeyter is partially copied from the biography of California actress Beatrice Wood, who lived to be 105 years old and died in 1998. Why was the main character called Rosa? Probably because that was the name of the only woman who escaped from the drowned Titanic (Rosa Abbot). Of course, the life stories of Rosa Abbot and Rosa Dewitt Buckeyter are completely different. But they had something in common - both survived due to the fact that they could stay on the surface of the water, clinging to the drifting "raft".
So, the main actors of the Titanic are Leonardo DiCaprio, who played Jack, and Kate Winslet - Rosa. This couple will forever remain in the hearts of the audience.
Applicants for the role of Rose and Jack
Today it is impossible to imagine that someone else could play unhappy lovers from a sinking ship. But there were other applicants.
Famous actors auditioned for the role of Jack Dawson:
- Matthew McConaughey. It was he who was supposed to play Jack. His candidacy has already been approved for the cast of the Titanic. But James Cameron wanted Jack Dawson to become the young and still unknown Leo DiCaprio.
- Christian Bale is a world celebrity who could “drown” with the Titanic. But the director did not want British actors to play both Americans. After all, the British actress has already been approved for the role of Rosa.
- Macaulay Culkin is the protagonist of Home Alone. He also wanted to join the cast of Titanic. But it was not approved.
As a result, the young Leonardo DiCaprio was chosen for the role of Jack Dawson. And this role made him the most popular actor on the planet, as well as the most coveted man in the world.
As for the role of Rosa Dewitt Buckeyter, here, too, not everything was decided unequivocally. The original challenger was the well-known Gwyneth Peltrow. And only later, James Cameron, as in the case of the role of Jack, gave preference to the less famous Kate Winslet. Thanks to this role, Kate also became a mega-popular actress.
Main roles
So, who else but the couple in love made Cameron's film Oscar-winning? Who are these famous actors of the Titanic?
Caledon Hockley - Rosa's rich and cruel bridegroom. He got his name from the name of two small Canadian cities that are located in Ontario - Caledon and Hockley. The relatives of the director of the Titanic live in this state. The role of Hockley in the film was played by actor Billy Zane. Alas, this role is the only bright work of the actor.
Ruth Dewitt Buckeyter is Rosa's mother. She was played by British actress Francis Fisher.
Molly Brown is the unsinkable Molly. Katie Bates, who played it, was a prize winner long before the Titanic. In 1991, she received an Oscar for her work in the movie Misery.
Thomas Andrews is the chief designer of the liner. This role in the film was played by Canadian actor Victor Garber. And he dealt with her one hundred percent. He with one glance was able to convey all the experiences of his character. And the last sentence of his hero: “I'm sorry, young Rose, for the fact that I could not build a stronger ship,” is beyond praise.
Bruce Ismay is an English businessman from the White Star Line. The role of this unpleasant and greedy man was perfectly played by the British actor Jonathan Hyde. This role became the most famous in his career.
Spicer Lovejoy, Hockley's assistant, was played by David Warner.
Actors of the film "Titanic", who played secondary roles
Gloria Stewart - An Aged Rose. According to the script, she was supposed to be 101 years old. The actress at that time turned 87 years old. She became the oldest actor nominated for an Oscar.
Suzy Amis played Rosa's granddaughter, Lizzie Calvert.
Bill Paxton played the role of Brock Lovett, a treasure hunter who in 1996 with his team went down to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in search of the sunken liner and the Heart of the Ocean gem.
Bernard Hill was remembered for the role of Captain Smith, who heroically went to the bottom with his ship.
Evan Stewart played officer William Murdoch, who also died during the disaster, and Scott J. Anderson - ranger Frederick Fleet, who was the first to notice the approaching iceberg.
The cast of the Titanic, Danny Nucci and Jason Berry, played the roles of Jack Dawson's friends, Fabrizio and Tommy, who, like their friend, did not survive the crash.
Interesting facts about actors
David Warner, who played Lovejoy, is the only person who “drowned” on “Titanic” twice. The first time - in 1979 on the set of the movie “Save the Titanic”.
Gloria Stewart is the only one of all the Titanic actors who lived during a real disaster in 1912.
Kate Winslet during filming in the water refused a wetsuit and earned herself pneumonia.
Rosa's drawing was not drawn at all by Leonardo DiCaprio, but by director James Cameron himself. It is his hands that paint the portrait in the film. As they say, a talented person is talented in everything.
Initially, the role of captain Smith was to play Robert De Niro. However, right before filming, he was hospitalized and had to be replaced by another actor.