Kate Winslet has changed her mind about whether Jack Dawson could have survived at the end of Titanic. Winslet played Rose Bukater in the hit historical romance, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack. The film slowly builds up to its climax, where the enormous ship sinks into the bottom of the ocean, leaving horrified survivors desperately trying to find shelter in the icy water. Jack and Rose manage to find a large door, and Jack demands that Rose remains on top of it, while he freezes to death in the water.
For years, the moment has drawn criticism for its logistical aspects since the door seems quite large enough to carry the weight of both Jack and Rose without issue. While Winslet originally argued that Jack could have survived, she recently changed her mind. In an interview with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Winslet believes that both Jack and Rose would have died if Jack tried to stay at the door with Rose since the board’s buoyancy would have been unbalanced. Here is Winslet’s full quote below:
“I don’t f–king know. That’s the answer. I don’t f–king know. Look, all I can tell you is, I do have a decent understanding of water and how it behaves. If you put two adults on a stand-up paddleboard, it becomes immediately, extremely unstable. That is for sure. I have to be honest: I actually don’t believe that we would have survived if we had both gotten on that door. I think he would have fit, but it would have tipped and it would not have been a sustainable idea. So, you heard it here for the first time. Yes, he could have fit on that door. But it would not have stayed afloat. It wouldn’t.”
Why The Titanic Plot Hole Is Still Relevant Today
The fact that the potential plot hole continues to draw discussion 25 years after Titanic released shows just how relevant the film has been to popular culture everywhere. The tragedy of the Titanic raised many questions about what actually must have happened that day in the Atlantic. In fact, that’s the real reason that James Cameron made Titanic. He wanted to explore the wreck beneath the water, and filming Titanic was the only way that he could receive the funding — and the excuse — to make a voyage of his own. So, with so many questions remaining about the sinking, it makes sense that there would be inquiries about its movie as well.
Another element about the plot hole is that Cameron recently reignited the old Titanic question after conducting a study of his own. According to Cameron, the study proves that Jack would never have been able to survive. Cameron even promises a special documentary that will release in February, which will put the question of the plot hole to rest forever. Whether it actually settles the dispute is something that remains to be seen, given that there has been continuous discussion for decades. One study isn’t likely to end it for long.
Of course, the release of Avatar 2: The Way of Water has also drawn many eyes back to Titanic. Both are James Cameron movies that tie closely to devastation in the water, and with Cameron working hard to promote the film, his works are back in the forefront of pop culture. With the news that Cameron is considering retirement after he finishes a few more movies, many of his old plot holes and controversies are prominent once more. While he and Winslet may be working to end the question of whether Jack might have survived Titanic, it doesn’t look like the confusion will die anytime soon.
