Long before Leonardo DiCaprio became the face of Titanic’s Jack Dawson, another Hollywood heartthrob was nearly cast in the iconic role, Matthew McConaughey. But according to a new revelation, the Dallas Buyers Club star reportedly torpedoed his shot at cinematic history by refusing a simple direction from James Cameron during his audition.
The story comes from an excerpt of Titanic producer Jon Landau’s upcoming posthumous memoir The Bigger Picture, shared in journalist Matthew Belloni’s What I’m Hearing newsletter. Landau, who passed away in July 2024, recounts the moment McConaughey’s chances sank during a crucial audition scene with Kate Winslet.
Matthew McConaughey lost out on the role of Jack in ‘Titanic’ due to his Southern accent, producer Jon Landau alleges in memoir.
Director James Cameron reportedly asked him to lose the accent, which McConaughey refused to do. pic.twitter.com/duGcHn9Gzz
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“We brought him in to do a scene with Kate,” Landau wrote. “You want to check for chemistry, not just how people look on film, but how they interact. Kate was taken with Matthew, his presence, and charm. Matthew did the scene with the drawl.”
That Southern charm, however, clashed with Cameron’s vision for Jack Dawson, who was supposed to be an orphan from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin—not Austin, Texas. According to the memoir, Cameron responded positively to McConaughey’s initial performance, but asked him to try it without the accent.
“That’s great,” Cameron reportedly said. “Now let’s try it a different way.” McConaughey’s response? “No. That was pretty good. Thanks.”
Matthew McConaughey originally auditioned with Kate Winslet for ‘Titanic’ (1997) and was confident he got the role of Jack, but Leo interviewed next and James Cameron said every woman in the building showed up for the meeting so he thought, ‘maybe I should cast this guy’ pic.twitter.com/NexTgERgGr
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And just like that, his shot at one of the most iconic roles in film history slipped away.
Jack Dawson ultimately went to Leonardo DiCaprio, who was just 22 at the time and whose performance helped turn Titanic into a global box office phenomenon. The 1997 film went on to win 11 Academy Awards and gross over $2 billion worldwide.
McConaughey, now 55, has previously acknowledged that he auditioned for the role and thought he had it in the bag. In a 2018 interview on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, he recalled walking out of his audition thinking, “I nailed it. They’re going to offer me this role.”
Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet on the set of ‘Titanic’, 1997 pic.twitter.com/Xo4qqJxWVr
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While McConaughey went on to enjoy a highly successful career—including an Oscar win for Dallas Buyers Club—he never starred in a blockbuster on the scale of Titanic. His refusal to adapt in the moment may have cost him a career-defining role.
Landau’s anecdote serves as a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the high-stakes decisions that shaped one of Hollywood’s most successful films, and a reminder of how even a small moment in the audition room can change movie history.
The memoir The Bigger Picture is expected to include more insider details from Landau’s decades-long career, which spanned from Titanic to the Avatar franchise and beyond.
Landau, a veteran producer with a legendary track record, played a key role in some of the most groundbreaking films of all time. He partnered with James Cameron on both Titanic and Avatar, the two highest-grossing films in cinematic history. While not as famous as his partner in movie-making, his behind-the-scenes leadership helped shape the visual effects and storytelling that revolutionized modern filmmaking.
