‘So negative’: Oscar-winning director James Cameron slams Leonardo DiCaprio

Oscar-winning director James Cameron said Leonardo DiCaprio almost didn't get the role of Jack in Titanic. Photo / Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Director James Cameron has revealed Leonardo DiCaprio’s Titanic audition was not smooth sailing.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker appeared in a video for GQ magazine this week where he revealed DiCaprio almost didn’t get the part of Jack Dawson after he refused to read lines in his audition.

Speaking to the magazine in a career retrospective video, Cameron recalled how he told the then-young actor, “You’re going to read, or you’re not going to get the part.”

Variety reported it was a statement that reportedly caught a young DiCaprio off guard as he had already had a meeting days prior and didn’t believe he needed a screen test to secure the role.

Cameron said the initial meeting went well and having already locked in Kate Winslet to play the part of Rose DeWitt Bukater, he requested DiCaprio to come back for a reading with her.

“He came back a couple of days later, and I had the camera set up to record the video,” Cameron said.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslett in Titanic (1997). Photo / Supplied

“He didn’t know he was going to test. He thought it was another meeting to meet Kate. So I said, ‘Okay, we’ll just go in the next room, and we’ll run some lines, and I’ll video it.’ And he said, ‘You mean, I’m reading?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘Oh, I don’t read.’ I shook his hand and said, ‘Thanks for coming by.’”

Cameron went on to say the Hollywood star was confused and responded by asking, “If I don’t read, I don’t get the part? Just like that?”

The Oscar-winning actor told DiCaprio that the film would be taking up two years of his life and he isn’t going to “f*** it up by making the wrong decision in casting.”

DiCaprio was then told by the director, “So, you’re going to read, or you’re not going to get the part.”

Kate Winslet, James Cameron and Leonardo DiCaprio. Photo / Getty Images

Despite complaining about reading lines, DiCaprio continued with the audition and ultimately got the part.

“He comes in, and he’s like every ounce of his entire being is just so negative … right up until I said, ‘Action.’ Then he turned into Jack,” Cameron noted.

“Kate just lit up, and they played the scene. Dark clouds had opened up, and a ray of sun came down and lit up Jack. I’m like, ‘All right. He’s the guy.’”

The film went on to become the highest-grossing title of all time during its peak and now Variety has reported it holds the title of the third highest-grossing title with US$2.2 billion (NZ$3.2b) at the box office.