Why Matthew McConaughey lost 'Titanic' to Leonardo DiCaprio?

Do you know? Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey almost played the main lead in James Cameron’s romance epic ‘Titanic’, before the title eventually starred Leonardo DiCaprio, because he turned down a request from the veteran filmmaker.

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As revealed by ‘Titanic’ producer Jon Landau, in his upcoming posthumous memoir ‘The Bigger Picture’, Matthew McConaughey was in the running for the coveted lead role, and even did the screen test with the movie’s heroine, Kate Winslet.

However, despite impressing Winslet with his ‘presence and charm’, the frontrunner for Jack Dawson lost the opportunity because he refused to give in to Cameron’s demands.

According to the producer, Cameron asked McConaughey to repeat the audition without his Texas accent, but the ‘Interstellar’ star wasn’t interested in doing so, and told him, “No. That is pretty good. Thanks.”

“Let’s just say that was it for McConaughey,” Landau said.

Also Read: Kate Winslet recalls being body-shamed after ‘Titanic’

DiCaprio eventually played the lead opposite Kate Winslet’s Rose DeWitt Bukater when ‘Titanic’ sailed into theatres on December 19, 1997.

The title went on to become the highest-grossing film of the time, and bagged at least 11 Academy Awards out of the 14 nods, including Best Picture and Best Director for Cameron.