Claire Danes almost starred as Leonardo DiCaprio’s love interest again in James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster film Titanic. The pair previously starred as star-crossed lovers in Baz Luhrmann’s modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet the year before Titanic released. While Danes’ audition greatly impressed DiCaprio for her ability to look him in the eye and fantastic line delivery, they actually had a problematic relationship on set, which could have impacted Danes’ decision to turn down the role of Rose.
During filming for Romeo + Juliet, Danes was frequently annoyed by DiCaprio’s constant pranks on-set. Despite being five years her senior, Danes found DiCaprio to be overwhelmingly immature. This behavior checks out, considering DiCaprio pulled the same pranks on Kate Winslet, who played Rose, on the set of Titanic. However, Winslet had quite the opposite reaction, and the pair quickly became best friends. “Grossing Kate out was purely Leo’s job. He got really good at it. If he wasn’t rolling back his eyelids, he was making objets d’art out of bodily fluids,” revealed Billy Zane to Rolling Stone.
Despite being annoyed at DiCaprio’s on-set tomfooleries, Danes developed a complicated crush on her co-star, which isn’t surprising because who didn’t have a crush on him in the ’90s? While Danes’ difficult to comprehend relationship with DiCaprio could have impacted her decision to turn down the lead role in Titanic, she attributed her choice to fear of the spotlight. “I had just made this romantic epic with Leo in Mexico City, which is where they were going to shoot Titanic! And I just didn’t have it in me. I think I really wasn’t ready for it. And I remember after that movie came out… and he just went into another stratosphere,” stated Danes in an episode of Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard.
DiCaprio did go into another stratosphere of fame after his role as Jack Dawson in Titanic. The film practically gave the star overnight fame and could have been much different if Matthew McConaughey had landed the role instead. Fortunately, the role went to DiCaprio, taking into account his and Winslet’s great on-screen and off-screen chemistry, which even led to DiCaprio walking Winslet down the aisle for her wedding.
Despite the massive success Titanic has achieved, Danes does not regret her decision to withdraw from the role even years later. “I was really clear about it. I wasn’t conflicted. It was going to propel me to something I knew I didn’t have the resources to cope with. I knew I had to do a lot of foundation building,” stated Danes in the same episode of Armchair Expert.
Titanic fans can’t help but wonder what the film would be like if Danes had accepted the lead role. DiCaprio and Winslet may have never developed their long-lasting close friendship and may not have starred as their significant others again in Revolutionary Road. While the Titanic role may have ushered Danes even more into the success of the film industry, it was her call to determine whether she was prepared for the masses of paparazzi and fans that would follow.
