Kate Winslet opened discussions into the controversial Titanic door scene once again, sharing new information about the much-debated scene.
The ‘door scene’ from Titanic has resurfaced as a hot topic of debate after Kate Winslet weighed in on the scene. James Cameron’s 1997 romantic tragedy remains one of the most iconic hits in world cinema. A young Leonardo DiCaprio and Winslet kept us hooked with Jack and Rose’s love story. However, the film’s ending left many fans frustrated and opened many discussions about it.
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in a still from Titanic | Credits: Paramount Pictures
In the scene from the final act of the film, Jack is shown clinging onto a “door” in the freezing ocean, helping Rose climb onto it to survive. Jack never attempts to join her on the floating door, leading to his tragic death as he succumbs to the icy Atlantic. A heartbroken Rose watches him sink into the depths of the ocean.
What Did Kate Winslet Say About The Titanic Door Scene In Her Latest Interview?
Kate Winslet was once again asked whether Jack’s sacrifice was necessary when she appeared for an interview with 60 Minutes. Winslet’s answer was pretty simple this time, “You know what? I have no idea.” When the host asked whether the question annoyed her, she shared that she found it curious that it was the one thing that people wanted to think about out of all the other things she had said about the film.
Winslet, who is starring as WWII journalist Lee Miller in her new film Lee, appeared on The Project to promote her film earlier in October. Winslet always has defended the Titanic door scene in interviews, but this time she shared some new information in this interview. She shared that it wasn’t even a “door” in the scene.
Winslet shared that it was a piece of banister in the scene. As for whether DiCaprio’s character would fit on top of it, she shared that she had nothing more to add other than the insights already out there. She shared with The Project:
People keep referring to it as a door. It actually wasn’t even a door. It’s a piece of bannister, like a stairway or something, that had broken off. Who knows if [DiCaprio] could’ve fit on there or not. Honestly, I don’t have any insights here that anyone else hasn’t already tried to figure out.
Winslet had a more definitive answer when she appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast in 2022. She admitted for the first time that Jack could’ve fit on the banister, but the outcome would’ve changed for the worse. According to Winslet, the piece of wood wouldn’t have stayed afloat with both of their body weights. She shared in the podcast:
You’ve heard it here, for the first time—yes, he could have fit, but it would not have stayed afloat. It wouldn’t.
Interestingly, it was a finding that director James Cameron claimed to have tested and proven. Interestingly, during her recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast in 2024, she told Horowitz more behind-the-scenes secrets while filming the scene.
Kate Winslet Shared The BTS Story Of How The Scene Was Shot
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic | Credits: Paramount Pictures
When she appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Kate Winslet opened up about filming the door scene. She shared that the scene was filmed in a waist-height tank. She shared, “Well that was quite an awkward tank. Because to burst the bubble, it was waist height that tank.”
Fans were in for another surprise when she revealed that the tank was an “infinite tank” with water constantly rushing in. She further shared, “Let me tell you everybody it means that the last 22 minutes of that movie are entirely looped.” Despite Winslet breaking down the magic behind the scenes, fans can still feel the emotional weight of the scene, thanks to the powerful performances.
The final sequences of the film were shot in meticulously planned locations. James Cameron constructed an almost full-scale replica of the ship’s exterior at Fox Baja Studios in Mexico’s Baja California. The scenes were also shot at the Belmont Olympic Pool in Long Beach and the SS Lane Victory in San Pedro, both in Los Angeles.
What Did James Cameron And Leonardo DiCaprio Have To Say About The Door Scene Controversy?
James Cameron explaining the Titanic door scene to Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet | Credits: Paramount Pictures
James Cameron is almost tired of how fans continued to argue that Rose was a terrible person for not letting Jack on the door. Cameron pleaded his case for centuries and even resorted to scientific experiments to prove his point. In a documentary about making Titanic, the director included these experiments and their results.
He shared these results with Postmedia, sharing that only one could’ve survived the disaster in the freezing temperatures. He shared that a hypothermia expert tested the theory using various methods to reach the same conclusion every time. He shared (via Toronto Sun):
We have done a scientific study to put this whole thing to rest and drive a stake through its heart once and for all. We have since done a thorough forensic analysis with a hypothermia expert who reproduced the raft from the movie and we’re going to do a little special on it that comes out in February.
We took two stunt people who were the same body mass of Kate and Leo and we put sensors all over them and inside them and we put them in ice water and we tested to see whether they could have survived through a variety of methods and the answer was, there was no way they both could have survived. Only one could survive.
However, Cameron admitted that he might’ve made a mistake in making the makeshift raft a little bigger. He shared that even though he could’ve made a different artistic choice in the film, it was important that Jack died in the film. He shared:
Maybe I didn’t do it in a way that everyone agrees with, but Jack had to die. It’s that simple. If I had to make the raft smaller, it would have been smaller.
When promoting his film Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Leonardo DiCaprio was faced with the same question about the door scene. His co-star Brad Pitt jokingly asked him whether his character could have “fit on that door at the end of Titanic” (via @mtvnews/Instagram). DiCaprio didn’t want to get involved in the whole controversy and kept his answer to a “no comment.”
His other co-star Margot Robbie called the Titanic ending “the biggest controversy in modern cinema”, to which DiCaprio responded, “Ever.”
The Mythbusters Says Jack Could’ve Survived, James Cameron Doesn’t Agree
Mythbusters testing the Titanic door scene theories | Credits: Science Channel/YouTubeThe YouTube duo Mythbusters, consisting of Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage set out to test whether Jack could’ve survived in a 2013 video. Their verdict: “Jack’s death was needless.” According to Hyneman and Savage, the male protagonist would’ve survived if he tied Rose’s life vest under the door to improve the buoyancy.
James Cameron contested this theory in 2017, sharing that what Mythbusters asks Jack to do in the film is not at all practical. He shared that Jack’s brain would start getting hypothermia and wouldn’t be able to tie a life jacket to the makeshift raft. He explained his side to the Daily Beast:
OK, so let’s really play that out: you’re Jack, you’re in water that’s 28 degrees; your brain is starting to get hypothermia. Mythbusters asks you to now go take off your life vest, take hers off, swim underneath this thing, attach it in some way that it won’t just wash out two minutes later — which means you’re underwater tying this thing on in 28-degree water, and that’s going to take you five to 10 minutes, so by the time you come back up you’re already dead. So that wouldn’t work.
Cameron further claimed that Jack’s best choice was to keep his upper body out of water and wait to get pulled out by a rescue boat. During the release of Titanic 3D recently, Cameron once again joined the Mythbusters to conduct the experiment only for them to reach the same conclusion. Cameron admitted to his mistake of making the door/banister bigger.
However, he told Hyneman and Savage, “I think you guys are missing the point. The script says Jack dies, he has to die.” Fans should also learn to accept that fate for the character, rather than questioning it.
Titanic is now available for streaming on Paramount+.
