“Titanic” is one of the most iconic films of all time—so much so that it’s returning to movie theaters today to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its 1997 premiere.
The film, directed by James Cameron, made a relatively unknown Kate Winslet a household name, rocketed Leonardo DiCaprio to superstardom, and changed the movie special effects game forever.
Even now after a quarter century, “Titanic” is still the third highest-grossing film in history, behind “Avengers: Endgame” and Cameron’s own “Avatar.”
Given all that blockbuster glory, it’s easy to forget that “Titanic’s” production was such a mess it endangered not only the film’s box office chances but also its actors lives.
Kate Winslet called the making of ‘Titanic’ an ‘ordeal,’ and she nearly drowned while filming.
Part of what made “Titanic” such a success—and an “ordeal”—was Cameron’s insistence that the movie’s sets and stunts be real and not CGI whenever possible.
This meant that when Kate & Leo were doing those death-defying underwater scenes, that was no CGI wizardy—and in Winslet’s case, “death-defying” became literal.
While filming a scene on the flooded Titanic set, Kate Winslet’s coat got caught and pulled her underneath the water.
The incident happened while filming on the movie’s Rosarito, Mexico set, where Cameron built a 700-foot replica of the Titanic.
During a scene in which Winslet and DiCaprio’s characters flee an enormous flood of water as the ship sinks, Winslet’s long, heavy overcoat got caught on a metal gate.
The water on the set continued to rise, trapping Winslet beneath the surface for a terrifyingly long time.
“I had to sort of shimmy out of the coat to get free,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “I had no breath left. I thought I’d burst.”
James Cameron made Winslet immediately film the scene again, even though she’d nearly drowned.
Cameron is known for being an exacting director, and not even a near-death experience could deter him from getting his shot.
Once Winslet had escaped her coat—and drowning—”Jim just said, ‘OK, let’s go again,’” she told the LA Times. “That was his attitude. I didn’t want to be a wimp so I didn’t complain.”
Cameron defended his decision, telling the LA Times, “she was never in physical danger, but she perceived that she was… If I had it to do over again, I would probably do the same thing.”
Winslet told the LA Times that while Cameron is “a nice guy”, she was at times “genuinely frightened of him.”
Winslet also suffered hypothermia and the flu on “Titanic,” and there was a second scene in which she nearly drowned.
Winslet told the LA Times she chipped a bone, suffered a giant gash after slipping on the Titanic replica’s deck, and was so bruised “I looked like a battered wife.”
She also came down with the flu, and during a 2017 appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” Winslet revealed she also got hypothermia while filming in the production’s water tanks.
And when it came time to film the scenes in which she and DiCaprio flail underwater after going down with the ship, Winslet nearly lost her life a second time.
“For my close-up shots, I was actually weighted down 12 feet under water” she told the LA Times. “Looking back, I can’t believe I allowed that to be done to me.”
She had trouble using her air supply, which resulted in her inhaling water while unable to swim due to the weights. And this time, she did not indulge Cameron’s work ethic.
“After three takes, I simply said I couldn’t do anymore.”
