Movies - TV
Titanic Turned Kate Winslet Off From Working With James Cameron
By LEE ADAMS
Would "Titanic" be beloved around the world without the star-making performance of Kate Winslet? The film rocketed her to global fame and earned her an Oscar nomination, but for all the success and accolades, she once vowed never to work with James Cameron again.
Cameron had long developed a reputation as a punishing director to work for, and his exacting methods and explosive temper were blown up to supersized proportions on set. He has always insisted that he suffers as much for his art as anybody else and that his dictatorial approach comes from a burning desire to make every one of his movies the best it can possibly be.
Winslet was very vocal about her experiences on the set of the film, telling of exhausting 20-hour shifts, grueling night shoots, Cameron's notorious temper, and a few legitimately scary moments. In a 2009 interview, she explained that filming the movie led to battle scars, "I chipped a small bone in my elbow, and at one point I had deep bruises all over my arms. I looked like a battered wife."
She also suffered hypothermia from prolonged periods in the water, but the most alarming moment was when her coat got caught up while shooting in a rapidly submerging corridor and she found herself underwater fighting to set herself free. “I had no breath left. I thought I'd burst. And Jim just said, "OK, let's go again." That was his attitude.”
While she admitted that there were times when she felt "genuinely frightened" of Cameron, Winslet has since softened her stance and signed on to play Ronal in “Avatar 2.” As Winslet recently explained, “Time has changed him. Jim has become a father a few more times over. He is a calmer person.”