Ever since Leonardo DiCaprio was a teen, millions of fans and the media have been obsessed with him. On top of the attention that gets paid to DiCaprio, he also became one of the most acclaimed of all time thanks to starring in so many beloved movies. Most notably, DiCaprio headlined the award-winning movie Titanic which also became the highest-grossing movie in history at the time.
Considering how celebrated DiCaprio and Titanic have been, it certainly seems like any actor would have wanted to headline that movie with him. Despite that, DiCaprio's former co-star Claire Danes may have turned down Titanic out of desperation to not work with him again.
Why Claire Danes Refused To Star In Titanic
When preparations were being made to begin shooting James Cameron's Titanic, there was every reason for actors to want to be a part of the project. After all, everything made it seem like the movie had the potential to become a massive hit.
Right off the hop, the most obvious reason to think that Titanic would succeed was the story the movie was retelling. Ever since the news that the R.M.S. Titanic sunk during its first voyage in 1912, the world has been fascinated by that tragic event.
Another reason people had to believe in Titanic was James Cameron's involvement. Before directing Titanic, Cameron helmed other massively successful movies like Terminator, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and True Lies. On top of Cameron's already stellar filmography, he was so dedicated to making Titanic that he has been bothered by getting something wrong ever since.
Finally, the fact that 20th Century Fox was willing to invest so much money to bring Titanic to life should have given everyone confidence.
Since Titanic seemed to have everything going for it, many famous actors lined up to possibly star in the film. According to reports, actors like Matthew McConaughey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, Jared Leto, Winona Ryder, Rob Lowe, Lindsay Lohan, and even Robert De Niro were considered for roles.
On top of that star-studded list, another major actor seemingly was offered the opportunity to star in Titanic as Rose. While being offered that role was the opportunity of a lifetime, Claire Danes turned the chance to headline Titanic down.
During a 2020 appearance on the acclaimed podcast "Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard" Danes spoke about not starring in Titanic. After Shepard asked Danes if it was true that she was asked to bring Rose to life, Danes pretty much confirmed that was the case.
“I think I did. I’m not entirely clear on that. There was strong interest," Danes then went on to explain what made her decide that she didn't want to star in Titanic. As Danes revealed, after just starring in Romeo + Juliet with DiCaprio, she couldn't do that again.
"Honestly, like, I’d just made this romantic epic with Leo in Mexico City, which is where they were going to shoot Titanic, and I just didn’t have it in me." Danes then went on to describe the moment that she found out that DiCaprio was going to star in Titanic.
"I remember, Leo and I shared a manager at the time, and we were there at the office. I was on a balcony, which is funny and Leo had this rental red convertible, some, like, hot rod-dy car. And he was kinda going in circles in the parking lot."
Danes continued, "And I knew he was wrestling with the decision to do that movie or not and he just looked up at me, and he said, ‘I’m doing it. I’m doing it.’ And I could see he wasn’t sure, but he was like, f*** it, I gotta do this thing.’ And I looked down on him going, like, I totally understand why you are doing it. And I’m not ready for that.”
To be clear, Danes didn't specifically say that not wanting to work with DiCaprio again was the reason she passed on Titanic. That said, many people concluded that DiCaprio was the reason Danes refused to star in Titanic since the two actors reportedly feuded on the set of Romeo + Juliet.
Did Leonardo DiCaprio And Claire Danes Really Feud?
When Baz Luhrmann's epic movie Romeo + Juliet was released, millions of fans were smitten with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes as an onscreen couple. For that reason, it was sad for a lot of people when it was reported that DiCaprio and Danes didn't like each other.
In 2022, this is how The UK's Far Out Magazine summarized the reports that DiCaprio and Danes feuded on the set of Romeo + Juliet.
"Since the film premiered in 1996, various reports have alleged that Danes and DiCaprio didn’t always see eye to eye, with Danes finding DiCaprio’s constant pranking tiresome. Danes was just 17 at the time, while DiCaprio was 21. It’s rumored that the young actress found Leo a little immature and that he found Clare “uptight”. According to some sources, the pair barely spoke to one another when not filming scenes together."
On the other hand, the truth about how Danes and DiCaprio felt about each other may have been more complicated than that. In the past, Danes has admitted that like millions of other young women at the time, she had a major crush on DiCaprio at one point.
Whether Danes and DiCaprio feuded or had more of a love-hate relationship, it seems unlikely that is why she passed on Titanic. When looking at what Danes said to Dax Shepard about why she didn't star in Titanic from a wider view, it seems very likely she had another motive.
In the past, DiCaprio has talked about why filming Romeo + Juliet was "very stressful". “The interesting thing was that although there was a lot of violence and a lot of shootings and a lot of people getting sick all the time, it really added to what we were doing out there. There were a couple m**ders, one of our people got kidnapped. It was hard and everyone got really sick, but at the same time it really gave us something to work off of.”
With DiCaprio's quote in mind, Danes' explanation for why she passed on Titanic has a very different meaning. "I’d just made this romantic epic with Leo in Mexico City, which is where they were going to shoot Titanic, and I just didn’t have it in me." It also is worth noting that Danes told Shepard that she later attended the premiere of DiCaprio's movie The Man in the Iron Mask, so clearly she didn't hate him.
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