After all these years, Matthew McConaughey is still wondering; How is it possible that after a very strong screen test, in favor of Leonardo DiCaprio , he next grabbed the role of Jack Dawson in James Cameron’s worldwide financial hit Titanic ?
In an interview, McConaughey admits that at the time the audition went so well that he was firmly convinced he got the part:
“I went to read with Kate [Winslet, ed.] And when we came out she said, ‘That went really great.’ We kind of hugged and I really thought it was going to be me. so that did happen “ .
Cameron was looking for a charismatic actor and although McConaughey was already an established movie star, the director went for a younger person.
Cameron said,
“Matthew read for the part and then we met Leo. Leo came in for an interview and I had this weird thing: I looked around the room and every woman in the building was in the meeting… the accountant was there, the female security guard, so I thought maybe I better cast this guy.”
Nonchalant
Unfortunately, DiCaprio was not interested in making adventurous romance on a big budget and so the actor made no effort at all to deliver a good audition. Why Cameron finally decided to choose him will always remain a mystery.
In his own words, “a ray of light came from the sky for a fraction of a second, illuminating the set”. And eventually it became one of the most popular characters in DiCaprio’s career.
That McConaughey does not hold a grudge towards DiCaprio was evident from the short scene they shared years later in The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013).
