Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey’s refusal to drop his Southern accent led to him losing the role of Jack to Leonardo DiCaprio in the 1997 hit Titanic, according to an excerpt from a memoir by the film’s late producer Jon Landau.
In Jon Landau's upcoming memoir, The Bigger Picture, obtained by Matthew Belloni's What I'm Hearing newsletter, the late producer revealed details about McConaughey's audition for the role of Jack Dawson in the James Cameron-directed Oscar-winning film.
“We brought him in to do a scene with Kate [Winslet]. You want to check for chemistry — not just how people look on film, but how they interact,” Landau wrote. “Kate was taken with Matthew, his presence and charm. Matthew did the scene with the drawl,” he added.
Fox News has reported that in the book, Landau says that after McConaughey completed the scene in his signature Texas accent, director James Cameron told the actor, “That's great, now let's try it a different way,” to which the actor allegedly responded, “No. That was pretty good. Thanks.”
“Let's just say, that was it for McConaughey,” Landau recalled.
Leonardo DiCaprio was next in line, ultimately taking up the role that would go on to become his career-defining gig. Before emerging as a global heartthrob with his portrayal of the penniless artist, DiCaprio was already making a name with movies like What's Eating Gilbert Grape and Romeo + Juliet.
Later, McConaughey starred along DiCaprio in the 2013 critically-acclaimed film The Wolf of Wall Street, directed by Martin Scorsese.
In a past interview with Rob Lowe back in 2021, McConaughey said that he “really thought it was going to happen” after his audition for Titanic.
“So I went and read with Kate Winslet, and it was not one of the auditions — they filmed it so it was like into screen test time,” he said. “After we left, you know, it was one of those ones where they, like, followed me, and when we got outside, they were like, ‘That went great.’ I mean, kind of, like, hugs. I really thought it was going to happen. It did not,” the actor added.
Winslet, who received an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Rose, later recalled her audition with McConaughey during her appearance on The Late Show in 2017. Calling the audition “completely fantastic”, she admitted that the film would have been different if the actor was cast. “It just wouldn't have been the whole 'Jack and Rose, Kate and Leo' thing,” she added.
However, missing out on Titanic, one of the era-defining movies of the 90s, did not cause McConaughey any losses. He went on to win an Academy Award for his role in Dallas Buyers Club and was also nominated for an Emmy for his performance in season one of True Detective.