Back in 1997, the world of cinema was changed forever, in more ways than one. Hot off the back of success with 1994’s True Lies and his Terminator franchise that hooked late 20th-century pop culture, director James Cameron took on the epic romance tale of Titanic in 1997, breaking box-office records in the process. Though its billion-dollar feat was not due solely to Cameron’s cinematic prowess, it was the magnetising allure of lead stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet that sold tickets.
Having both made strong starts in the industry in the early 1990s, the pair of actors were on a similar career trajectory once Titanic came around, with both emerging as some of the most fashionable and artistically talented stars around. In the 1997 film, they play Jack and Rose, respectively, with the film telling the story of a promising artist who forms an unlikely romance with a young aristocrat.
The movie ended up being nominated for a staggering fourteen Academy Awards, holding the record, along with Damien Chazelle’s La La Land and Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s All About Eve for being the most-nominated movie in Oscar history. Among the spoils were wins for ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Director’, whilst Winslet earned herself a nomination for ‘Best Leading Actor’, despite DiCaprio having no such luck in his corresponding category.
Despite this, Winslet and DiCaprio forged a strong friendship on the set of the movie, with many going so far as to believe that the pair shared a romance during production. This has since been denied, even if Winslet did admit during a 1998 interview with Access Hollywood that she thought her co-star was a stunner: “’I did think to myself beforehand, it’s going to be hard, because you know, what if I really fancy him?’ she said. ‘And I so thought I was going to, because he is absolutely gorgeous’”.
She elaborated on her fond memories of the shoot in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, stating: “I remember so much of it like it was yesterday…I walked away with one of the greatest friendships of my life in my back pocket, which is Leo. We know each other in a very unique way, I think, because of the experience we both had on that film and having to take care of one another”.
Supporting each other through their every triumph, DiCaprio was there to celebrate Winslet’s Oscar win in 2009 for her performance in the Stephen Daldry film The Reader, and the British star returned the favour in 2016 when the Titanic starlet finally walked away with an Academy Award for his role in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Revenant.
When accepting her Golden Globe award for her performance in Daldry’s film, Winslet thanked DiCaprio in her speech, stating: “Leo, I’m so happy I can stand here and tell you how much I love you, and how much I’ve loved you for 13 years…I love you with all my heart, I really do”.
This friendship was proven in 2012 when Winslet invited DiCaprio to perform one of life’s most cherished and beautiful moments, walking her down the aisle when she married her husband Edward Abel Smith in 2012. It seems that the fictional bond between Rose and Jack in Titanic transcended the screen in 1997 and encouraged the blossoming of an eternal friendship between the acting duo.
