Overview

• Jon Landau’s posthumous memoir excerpt appeared in Matthew Belloni’s What I’m Hearing newsletter revealing new details about Titanic’s casting.
• The memoir states McConaughey read opposite Kate Winslet in a 1996 chemistry test for Jack Dawson.
• Cameron asked McConaughey to redo the scene without his Southern drawl, a direction the actor declined.
• That refusal prompted the casting of Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack, setting the stage for DiCaprio’s breakout success.
• Neither McConaughey nor Cameron has publicly addressed the memoir’s account as discussion over casting nuances continues.