The Titanic Role That Wasn't Meant to Be for McConaughey
There have been rumors that McConaughey himself turned down the role, but that is not the case.
It turns out that Mr. Jack Dawson could have been played by a very different actor.
Matthew McConaughey revealed that he auditioned for the role in James Cameron 's 1997 film Titanic. However, the audition process was far from typical.
Instead of simply reading lines with Kate Winslet, the two actors were recorded on video in a scene from the movie to see how they would look on screen together. After the audition, McConaughey received a hug from one of the crew members, which he took as a sign that he had impressed the producers.
"I really thought I got the part," the actor admitted in a podcast with Rob Lowe. He explained that after the unconventional audition, he received a tight hug from one of the crew members and took it as a sign that he had impressed the producers. However, to his surprise, he never received an offer for the role. Ultimately, it was not meant to be and the role went to Leonardo DiCaprio instead.
For a while, McConaughey thought he may have missed the one in a lifetime opportunity. According to a fan theory, while both Matthew McConaughey and Leonardo DiCaprio were considered for the role of Jack Dawson in Titanic, DiCaprio was ultimately chosen because he had a more wholesome and romantic appeal, while McConaughey exuded pure sex appeal. In the 1990s, being hot was not enough to stand out among the many attractive actors in Hollywood. DiCaprio, on the other hand, had a charm and charisma that made him the perfect fit for the role of Jack Dawson.