Leonardo DiCaprio Initially Didn’t Want to Play Jack in Titanic
Leonardo DiCaprio was originally hesitant to take the part of Jack Dawson in ‘Titanic,’ which celebrates its 20th anniversary this month.
It seems impossible to imagine Titanic without Leonardo DiCaprio as the loving, self-sacrificing, free-spirited artist Jack Dawson. But apparently, DiCaprio wasn’t originally keen on taking the part.
As the film celebrates its 20th anniversary, the cast and crew are talking about how Titanic came together, and executive producer Rae Sanchini spilled to E! News about why DiCaprio wasn’t into it…at first. “I think the hardest thing with Leo was convincing him that there was complexity in Jack Dawson,” she said. “Because when you think about it, Jack is the purest of heart. We meet him, and he’s not conflicted. He knows exactly who he is. He knows his place in the world. He’s fearless…he falls in love, but he doesn’t change as a person…He makes his choice to die for the woman he loves, and he’s at peace with that.”
She explained that DiCaprio had “always played very complicated characters who have very deep flaws,” and that Jack “I’m king of the world!” Dawson “almost seemed, I think when he first looked at it, too easy.” Sanchini concludes that DiCaprio, though more interested in being an actor than a heartthrob, finally signed on because he realized that “playing a character like Jack, who doesn’t have any obvious stuff to hide behind…was a challenge in and of itself.”
According to BuzzFeed, Titanic director James Cameron helped a young DiCaprio come to that conclusion, and honestly, maybe he needs to have that talk with the star again. This is not a comment on his artistic ability—DiCaprio is a great actor—but his movies since Titanic are always so…tortured. Perhaps it’s time for another romantic lead.
Related: Leonardo DiCaprio and Jane Goodall May Be Hollywood’s Cutest Couple
A Photographic Guide To Everyone Leonardo DiCaprio Has Publicly Dated
Leonardo DiCaprio dated model Kristen Zang for a year back in the ’90s, where she acted as his date to the premiere of Romeo & Juiet.
Perhaps DiCaprio’s most famously ex is Gisele Bündchen, whom he dated from 1999 to 2005.
The pair were serious for nearly six years, often spotted walking their dogs together.
The pair also often took in sporting events, a popular past time for DiCaprio and his girlfriends.
After splitting with Bündchen, DiCaprio moved on to Isreali model, Bar Rafaeli. The couple made a rare high profile appearance together at Berlin’s Annual Cinema For Peace Gala in 2010.
The couple often took in basketball games, sitting courtside, of course, making for a few rare moments of DiCaprio allowing himself to be photographed with a girlfriend. Here, they watch the Lakers in 2010.
The pair dated for six years—the exact duration of his relationship with Bundchen—before splitting in 2011.
And again, the same year, DiCaprio shielded by a hat, as has become his fashion go-to.
In 2014, DiCaprio was spotted at the amfAR Gala in Cannes with his new lady, Toni Garrn, whom he dated for just over a year.
Before eventually getting together with Nina Agdal—whom he was never photographed with at a high profile event like a few of his other girlfriends—the actor dated a model Kelly Rohrbach in 2015, during which the pair were spotted together at the US Open. Agdal would go on to star in this weekend’s Baywatch, while DiCaprio would continue to date models.
