Matthew McConaughey is said to have lost the role of Jack Dawson in Titanic after ‘refusing to take direction’ during his audition with director James Cameron

Matthew McConaughey missed out on a role in Titanic(Image: Tim Clayton, Getty Images)

Matthew McConaughey is said to have missed out on the role of Jack Dawson in Titanic after refusing to follow instructions during his screen test with director James Cameron.

The 55 year old star, famous for his distinctive Texan accent and laid-back charisma, reportedly auditioned alongside Kate Winslet during the early casting process for the 1997 epic. However, the role eventually went to Leonardo DiCaprio. The revelation about his failed audition comes from producer Jon Landau’s posthumous memoir, The Bigger Picture, which was featured in journalist Matthew Belloni’s newsletter What I’m Hearing.

Jon is said to have wrote: “We brought (Matthew) in to do a scene with Kate (Winslet, for Titanic.) 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 (Southern) drawl.”

Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack and Kate Winslet as Rose in Titanic(Image: CBS Photo Archive, CBS via Getty Images)

According to Jon’s account, following Matthew’s first performance, director James, now 70, requested he repeat the scene without his Southern accent. The actor reportedly refused.

“That was pretty good. Thanks,” Matthew apparently responded, wrapping up the audition without attempting a second reading.

Jack Dawson, the role that ultimately went to Leonardo DiCaprio, was conceived as a working-class orphan from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, making his way back to America on the doomed RMS Titanic.

Whilst Matthew was turned down for the part, Leonardo, now 50, also reportedly created tension during his own audition process. In a candid chat with GQ in 2022, James reminisced about the time he asked Leonardo to read lines during a test shoot with Winslet.

The director recounted how the actor initially brushed off the request, saying: “Oh, I don’t read.” James stood his ground, informing him that without reading, the role wouldn’t be his.

Leonardo acquiesced and went on to impress with a stellar audition. “Kate just lit up … dark clouds had opened up and a ray of sun came down and lit up Jack,” James recalled, convinced then that Leonardo was perfect for the part.

Titanic, which hit cinemas in December 1997, soared to become one of the most successful films ever, both commercially and critically. Helmed by James and featuring Leonardo and Kate as the leads, the movie spins the tale of Jack and Rose – star-crossed lovers from disparate social strata aboard the ill-fated vessel, which tragically sank on April 14, 1912.

With a hefty production budget of around $200 million, Titanic raked in over $2.2 billion worldwide. At its release, it clinched the title of the highest-grossing film ever, a record it held until James’ own Avatar surpassed it in 2009.

The epic romance swept the Oscars with 14 nominations and bagged 11 awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Song, and Best Cinematography.

It also launched Leonardo and Kate, who were just 22 and 21 at the time, into global superstardom. Although he missed out on this particular role, Matthew’s career didn’t suffer, as he later achieved Hollywood acclaim with standout performances in Dallas Buyers Club, Interstellar and True Detective, securing an Oscar in 2014.