Where to watch Titanic (1997)

Trivia & production notes

• James Cameron spent six months researching the Titanic's crew and passengers before writing the screenplay, creating a detailed timeline of events that was verified by historical experts.
• Cameron drew inspiration from the 1958 film A Night to Remember, which he had seen as a youth, and borrowed some of its dialogue and scenes including the steerage party and musicians playing during the sinking.
• Cameron conceived the character of elderly Rose to frame the romance across time, making the intervening years feel emotionally significant to the audience.
• Leonardo DiCaprio initially did not want the role and refused to focus during his first romantic scene reading, but Cameron saw potential in him and envisioned the character like those played by James Stewart or Gregory Peck rather than brooding and neurotic.
• DiCaprio turned down the lead role in Boogie Nights to star in Titanic, a decision he later regretted in 2025, calling Boogie Nights a profound film of his generation.
• Kate Winslet campaigned aggressively for the role of Rose by sending Cameron daily notes from England and later a single rose with a card signed From Your Rose, eventually convincing him to cast her.
• Matthew McConaughey auditioned for Jack but was disregarded because he refused to change his Southern accent.
• Billy Crudup turned down an audition for the role of Jack to star in Without Limits, and later said in 2000 that the film would not have been as successful if he had accepted.
• Gloria Stuart, at 87 years old, was cast as elderly Rose after Cameron asked casting director Mali Finn to find retired actresses from Hollywood's Golden Age, though he did not initially know who Stuart was.
• Tom Cruise was interested in playing Jack but his asking price was too high for Cameron to consider.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Titanic (1997 film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.