Matthew McConaughey Asked About the Audition for “Jack” in Titanic

FameJune 9, 2019

Undoubtedly one of the most iconic, and well-received movies of all time is James Cameron’s masterpiece, Titanic. For those who somehow haven’t heard or seen the movie, it is set onboard the real-life cruise ship RMS Titanic, which sank into the bottom of the ocean back in 1912.

The story revolves around the passengers of the doomed vessel, and it starred Leonardo DiCaprio in the role of “Jack,” a struggling artist who won two tickets onto the legendary vessel via a poker game, and Kate Winslet as “Rose,” a high-born lady forced to get married to a man 13 years her senior in order for her and her mother to maintain their socialite status.

The film was a resounding success, to the point where it was once hailed as the greatest cinematic masterpiece to have ever been made, and it held the title of World’s Highest Grossing Film for 12 years until Avatar came along in 2009, which was not-so-coincidentally also directed by James Cameron.

Tinseltown/Shutterstock
The film was able to rake in $2.187 billion from the box office alone. This number does not include sales from theatrical shows, DVD, VHS, and VCD rentals and purchases, as well as merchandise.

The film has been a cinematic classic for decades and is often referenced in various pop culture media all over the world. And the two starts of the movie, DiCaprio and Winslet, will always be remembered for their skillful portrayal of their roles.

But did you know that Matthew McConaughey almost got the role in lieu of DiCaprio?

The Interview

In the After Show segment of Andy Cohen-hosted night show, Watch What Happens Life, McConaughey was interviewed regarding several topics, the main one being the series “True Detective.” However, in the part of the segment where viewers were able to phone in and question the interviewees directly, he was asked a question completely unrelated to the series.

Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock
McConaughey’s breakout film was the coming-to-age comedic classic

The caller asked Matthew how his audition with Kate Winslet went when he auditioned for the role of “Jack” way back in 1992. Although not necessarily a secret, for some reason, few of the general public knew Matthew was already acting at the time, let alone tried to audition for what we know today as one of the greatest films of all time.

After hearing the question, Matthew smiled and chuckled, and explained that the audition itself actually went pretty well.

How the Audition Went

McConaughey explained how the audition seemed to be a resounding success because of how the movie staff seemed to be showing him with praises and saying that he got it and that what Matthew showed was what they were looking for.

McConaughey further explained how he actually received some congratulatory pats on the back, and handshakes, which is enough to solidify anyone’s belief that they were able to succeed. In fact, after he closed the door, he immediately called his manager and said that the nailed it and that it was definitely going to happen.

History

History tells the story of what happened next, however. Eventually, DiCaprio was the one who won the top stop and continued on to be immortalized in cinematic history. It simply makes you wonder why Matthew didn’t play the role.

In fact, some rumors started to circulate about how McConaughey actually did get the role, but for one reason or another, declined the role. Matthew also addressed this during his interview and said that he simply didn’t get the role.

Denis Makarenko/Shutterstock
It was later revealed how McConaughey was actually the studio’s choice, but James Cameron insisted on casting DiCaprio.

He also went further and said that if he did get the role, and wasn’t able to do it, he would need to have some strong words with the manager at the time. He said this jokingly, as he was absolutely certain that DiCaprio was cast instead of him, and it wasn’t that he was somehow cheated out of it or something.

The host, Andy Cohen, commented on how the story made him imagine of a Titanic with Matthew McConaughey as Jack, instead of DiCaprio. Matthew then jokingly says how the movie worked out for them, even without his involvement, which is a huge understatement, to say the least.