Kate Winslet has revealed some secrets about her experiences filming Titanic in 1997. Speaking to journalists about her new film depicting World War II photographer Lee Miller, Winslet described the famous scene in which her character Rose stays afloat on a door while her love interest Jack Dawson remains in the water and eventually drowns. She said the scene was filmed in “an awkward tank” with waist-high water that was constantly moving and “rushing.” Winslet also confirmed that Leonardo DiCaprio, who played Jack Dawson, was on his knees the whole time and that the experience was largely unpleasant.
In a separate interview, the British actress detailed the filming of another famous scene in which she and DiCaprio share a kiss while “flying” at the bow of the ship. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” she said. The shot was filmed several times, and Winslet described how the actors’ make-up made her look like she’d been “sucking a caramel chocolate bar after each take.”
The epic film, depicting the ill-fated maiden journey of the cruiser Titanic in 1912, was one of the biggest box office hits of all time. In preparation, director James Cameron paid several visits to the famous shipwreck, which lies on the floor of the North Atlantic Ocean. Titanic was the most expensive movie ever made when it arrived in theaters, at a cost of $200 million. It more than broke even, however, taking in $2.2 billion at the box office and a further $1.2 billion in video and DVD sales.
Titanic turned Kate Winslet into a household name, and she has frequently spoken about how it transformed her life. The actress has described her experiences as “horrible” because she lost her freedom overnight and was no longer able to do simple things like go shopping or walk in the park. Winslet says she was grateful for the success, but she nevertheless “didn’t want to be followed literally feeding the ducks.”
The star also struggled with some media coverage, including regular comments about her weight and physical appearance. She described Hollywood as “a big, scary place where everyone had to be thin and look a certain way.”
