James Cameron’sTitanicis undoubtedly one of the greatest films ever made. Its list of accolades and achievements is nearly endless, and includes 11 Academy Awards, and the first movie in history to have the distinction of crossing the $1 billion dollar mark at the worldwide box office. StarringKate WinsletandLeonardo DiCaprio, it’s an endearing classic that has stood the test of time for the last 27 years, and now,Winslet is revealing some of the movie’s biggest secrets by discussing what went into filming one of its most iconic scenes.
Appearing onHappy Sad Confusedwith Josh Horowitz, Winslet was shown a photo of the moment when she and DiCaprio were stranded in the water after the legendary ship went downthanks to a collision with an iceberg. While many fans over the years have questioned whether the character of Jack could have fit on that wood transom panel alongside Rose, Winselt didn’t bother to address that particular subject, opting instead to deliver some behind-the-scenes knowledgeby revealing that the tank they were in wasn’t as deep as it appeared to be in the movie.
“That was quite an awkward tank, that one, because… to burst a bubble, it was waist height, that tank. So first of all, I was regularly like, ‘Can I just go for a pee,’ and then I’d get up, get off the door, walk to the edge of the tank which was 20 feet away, and I’d literally have to fling my leg over and climb out of the tank, and then come back and crawl on the door again. Leo, I’m afraid, is kneeling down on the bottom of the tank. I shouldn’t be saying any of these things. Jim Cameron is going to ring me and be like, ‘Why are you telling them all that?'”
Of course, no one really believed that the pair were in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean filming that scene, so to hear that the water was only waist deep doesn’t come as that big of a surprise. Russell Carpenter’s award-winning cinematography did a fantastic job of making us believe otherwise, however, and it’s just one of the reasons whyTitanichas remained a breathtaking achievement in cinema that, even now, still holds up.
Kate Winslet Reveals More Titanic Secrets
As if dishing on how one ofTitanic’smost iconic moments was filmed wasn’t enough, Winslet didn’t stop there, revealingeven more inside informationas to how the sound design was affected by the water tank they were in. It was so loud, she says, thatall the dialogue between her and DiCaprio had to be added in later, because nothing of what they were saying was being picked up by the microphones.
“The thing that was amazing about the edges of the tank is that it was an infinity tank, so there was constant water rushing, and you could hear the constant sound of water. Which, let me tell you everybody, means that the last 22 minutes are entirely looped. Everything in this, completely looped. I promise you, because you could hear this water noise the whole time. I’m very good at looping as a result.”
Kate Winslet Explains her Titanic “Nightmare” Filming Kissing Scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio
Kate Winslet called one of Titanic’s most iconic scenes a “mess” to film for many reasons.
Again, the scene came across so perfectly that it’s a testament to Cameron, his cinematographer, and the entire sound design crew, who also won an Academy Award for their efforts. While many ofTitanic’ssecrets have already been revealed over the years, it’s nice to have a little more insight from those that were there about what went into creating what is arguably one of Cameron’s most ambitious movies.
Titanicis now available to stream on Paramount+, and you may check out Winslet’s full interview on theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast below.
