Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio have long been major fan favorites, especially as lovers onscreen. This is because of the outstanding chemistry the duo has successfully displayed all along, resulting in some of the most critically acclaimed masterpieces of all time. However, the pair didn’t exactly say yes to starring opposite each other the entire time.
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic. | Credit: Paramount Pictures.
Well, Winslet for one most certainly didn’t, and ended up turning down one too many roles that asked her to be the onscreen lover of DiCaprio. The same was the case for Inception as well, which is, unarguably, one of DiCaprio’s highest-grossing movies. As it turns out, the actress was asked to play the actor’s lover once again, but her response was a big no.

Kate Winslet Turned Down Leonardo DiCaprio’s Inception

As fans already know, Leonardo DiCaprio did a beyond-exceptional job while playing Cobb in the incredibly complex sci-fi/action drama Inception. But originally, the plans were slightly different when it came to the person who was to play his love interest in the movie.

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DiCaprio and Winslet in Revolutionary Road. | Credit: Paramount Pictures.
As it turns out, the original choice for Mal, i.e. Cobb’s deceased wife who takes her own life in a tragic turn of events, was Winslet. This was effortlessly a good casting choice at the end of Christopher Nolan since the duo had previously played lovers in Titanic as well.

However, unfortunately enough, Winslet had different plans. According to the details shared by All The Right Movies, she was approached for the role but ended up turning it down simply because she “couldn’t see herself in the role” as Mal.

Thus, Nolan instead decided to turn to French actress Marion Cotillard, and things became as in order as they were meant to be. As DiCaprio said about Cotillard:

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She can be strong and vulnerable and hopeful and heartbreaking all in the same moment, which was perfect for all the contradictions of her character.

Marion Cotillard with DiCaprio in Inception. | Credit: Warner Bros.
Of course, Cotillard indeed did a beyond-breathtaking job that led to the tremendous success of the masterpiece. As for Kate Winslet, this was the third time she had turned down a chance to star as a lover in a movie alongside the fan-favorite Hollywood heartthrob.

Previously, Winslet was offered the role of Dr. Madolyn Madden, who plays DiCaprio’s love interest in The Departed. However, she turned it down, and it eventually instead went over to actress Vera Farmiga, who proved that she was the right choice for the role.

Even before that, about a year before Titanic happened, Winslet once again had the chance to acquaint herself with DiCaprio’s charm by playing his loving Juliet in Baz Luhrmann’s classic from 1996, Romeo + Juliet. However, actress Claire Danes snatched that role from her as well.

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All in all, Winslet had a lot of chances to be around DiCaprio on the movie sets. But each time she turned it down, and it seems like it was only for the better — especially for one like Inception.

Inception Became One of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Highest-Grossing Films

Inception. | Credit: Warner Bros.
While Winslet may have lost out on the chance to star alongside her Titanic lover DiCaprio in Nolan’s original masterpiece from 2010, it didn’t pose a barrier to the film’s success. Irrespective of her inclusion, the film still went on to become a true piece of masterwork.

According to the scores on Rotten Tomatoes, the action/sci-fi was a true masterpiece, garnering a stunning 87% from the reviews of 374 critics and an amazingly competitive 91% audience score undermined from the ratings of more than 250,000 viewers.

Additionally, the film was a massive global blockbuster as well. Made on a budget of a mere $160 million, it went on to gross a whopping $839 million from box offices worldwide, becoming one of DiCaprio’s most successful movies of all time (via Box Office Mojo).

That being said, it may have been a major miss for Winslet, but it sounds like all was well for DiCaprio.