How did Matthew McConaughey lose his lead role in Titanic? Here's what we know

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days star and Hollywood heartthrob Matthew McConaughey was almost cast as the charming Jack Dawson in James Cameron's epic romantic film Titanic, a role that eventually made Leonardo DiCaprio a leading Hollywood actor.

Journalist Matthew Belloni’s newsletter, “What I’m Hearing'' features an excerpt from Titanic's producer Jon Landau’s posthumous book, “The Bigger Picture,” that reveals the behind-the-scenes details about Matthew McConaughey's audition.

As per the newsletter, Landau revealed in his memoir:

“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. Kate was taken with Matthew, his presence and charm. Matthew did the scene with the drawl.”

Since the Texas-born actor spoke with a Southern accent, Cameron asked him to ''try it [the scene] a different way.” Since Jack Dawson was an orphan from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, Cameron wanted the character to have a certain flair in his voice and asked Matthew McConaughey to try a different approach.

However, when the actor failed to meet Cameron's request, he was eventually dropped from the part.

Titanic behind-the-scenes: How did Matthew McConaughey lose the leading part in Cameron's 1997 epic film?

A recent newsletter has confirmed that star Matthew McConaughey failed to star in one of the biggest projects in Hollywood, after he straight-out rejected James Cameron's request to read the part differently.

As the memoir revealed, the actor's response to Cameron's request was:

“No. That was pretty good. Thanks.''

This flat-out rejection cost the actor, and he ended up losing the part to Leonardo DiCaprio, who played the character to perfection.

While DiCaprio's chemistry with Kate Winslet's Rose was highly appreciated and the duo became one of the most beloved on-screen couples in Hollywood, the Inception actor also hit a roadblock in his Titanic audition.

In 2022, as James Cameron told GQ, when DiCaprio was asked to read the Titanic scene with Winslet, the actor denied it by saying:

“Oh, I don’t read.”

However, when the Oscar-winning filmmaker told DiCaprio that not reading would not grant him the part, he reluctantly agreed, and the rest was history. Cameron finally found his Jack Dawson, as he revealed:

“Kate just lit up … dark clouds had opened up and a ray of sun came down and lit up Jack. I’m like, ‘Alright, he’s the guy.'”

While Matthew McConaughey has starred in his fair share of romantic movies in the 90s, namely The Wedding Planner and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, nothing compares in popularity to Titanic, which is now considered an epic and classic tale of romance.

DiCaprio reluctantly agreed to meet James Cameron's request, while McConaughey failed, which made all the difference.