Things You Didn’t Know About James Cameron’s ‘Titanic’

As we get ready for the Titanic Experience at the Stanley Theater Saturday, April 14th, I thought we’d take a a look at the movie that is being released in 3D in honor of the 100th anniversary.  There are a few things according to The Daily Beast, you may not know about the James Cameron film.

Jack’s Understudy. Could you imagine a Titanic where Jack wasn’t played by Leonardo DiCaprio? James Cameron pushed for Leonardo DiCaprio, but the film’s producers wanted another leading man—Matthew McConaughey.

Artistic Direction. Jack’s character is an artist who totes a sketchbook filled with inspired drawings and passionately sketched nudes. But Leo wasn’t the mastermind behind the iconic figures; it was Cameron himself who drew everything in the book—including the infamous portrait of Rose wearing nothing but a bejeweled necklace.

Flash Dance. Kate and Leo had never met each other before the set of Titanic. To break the ice, Winslet did something drastic in an attempt to ease the tension for her inevitable nude scene—she flashed him.

Icy Depths. In the scene in which Rose goes looking through the corridors of the sinking ship for Jack, the water used in the scene was so frigid when Rose gasps upon diving into the water, it was her genuine reaction. Kate Winslet was one of the few actors who didn’t want to wear a wetsuit while filming, and came down with pneumonia.

Authentic Actress. Gloria Stuart, the actress who played the elderly Rose Dawson, was the only person who worked on the production of the film who was actually living in 1912, the year when the “Titanic” sank. She even received an Oscar nomination for her role, which, at age 87, made her the oldest actor to receive a nomination. In September 2010, Stuart passed away at the exceptional age of 100.

Seeing Stars. On August 9, 1996, around 80 crew members became ill after eating a batch of lobster chowder while filming in Nova Scotia. Police originally thought it was food poisoning, but tests on the food came back positive for the drug phencyclidine, also known as PCP. The prankster was never caught, and none of the film’s stars ate the drug-laced chowder.

You can still get your tickets to enjoy our Titanic Wine & Chocolate Festival at the Stanley Theater.  You can even win a blue topaz diamond heart shaped pendant, inspired by the heart of the ocean necklace, from the movie.