Matthew McConaughey could have been a star.
Okay, we’re teasing about that. Matthew McConaughey obviously is a star. A HUGE star. But he could have been the leading man in the most iconic movie of the 1990s — and one of the most popular movies of all-time — if he’d just taken a tiny bit of advice during his audition and temporarily cut back on his thick Southern accent!
Related: Margot Robbie Once Thought She’d Get ARRESTED After Audition With Leonardo DiCaprio?!
According to the memoir of film producer Jon Landau, McConaughey was right on the cusp of booking the lead role of Jack Dawson in the 1997 James Cameron-directed blockbuster Titanic when the Texan’s accent f**ked it up for him! Or, to put it more bluntly, McConaughey’s alleged refusal to DROP his accent is what cut him out of the part, which of course ultimately went to Leonardo DiCaprio!
So, Landau produced Titanic back in the day, working closely with Cameron to make it a reality. And sadly, last July, Landau passed away from cancer at 63 years old. Well, now his memoir recounting his years producing films is all set to be published. The book, called The Bigger Picture: My Blockbuster Life & Lessons Learned Along The Way, will hit bookstores in November, FYI.
Hollywood insider Matthew Belloni managed to sneak a peek at portions of the memoir this week for his What I’m Hearing newsletter. And the key section as far as we’re concerned centers on McConaughey’s Titanic-sized f**k-up back at his audition in 1996!
According to Landau’s memoir, the How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days star was brought in to audition for a scene opposite leading actress Kate Winslet with the express purpose of exploring the duo’s chemistry on camera. And, well, the pair’s connection was undeniable. Landau wrote in his memoir:
“Kate was taken with Matthew, his presence and charm.”
Well, yeah, who wouldn’t be?!
…Uh. Well. James Cameron, for one.
See, according to Landau, McConaughey used his natural drawl during the scene. That didn’t resonate at ALL with the Avatar filmmaker. And even though Cameron apparently loved the connection between McConaughey and Winslet, he wanted Matthew to ditch the accent immediately. Landau wrote that Cameron allegedly said this after the audition:
“That’s great. Now let’s try it a different way.”
And McConaughey allegedly turned him down!!! Landau claims the Dazed And Confused actor responded like this:
“No. That was pretty good. Thanks.”
WTF?!
Landau’s memoir mused how those simple words were all it took to point Cameron in another direction:
“Let’s just say, that was it for McConaughey.”
Enter: DiCaprio. And the rest is history!!
It’s a wild Hollywood “what if” to ponder, isn’t it?! What if McConaughey ditches the accent and bags the role? What if DiCaprio doesn’t get to play Jack Dawson??
Related: Emma Roberts & Matthew McConaughey Awkwardly Ignore THIS Celeb In Painful Viral Video!
To be fair, McConaughey’s career was already on the rise thanks to high-profile performances in flicks like the aforementioned Dazed And Confused, which came out in 1993, as well as 1996’s A Time To Kill.
Plus, DiCaprio was already a rising star before Titanic with major roles in movies like Total Eclipse, Romeo And Juliet, and The Basketball Diaries that hit screens prior to Cameron setting his eyes on the kid. Heck, Leo earned his first Oscar nomination when he was just 20 years old back in 1994 — so, three years before Titanic hit theaters — for his role in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. So, he wasn’t exactly an unknown quantity before taking on Jack Dawson. (And McConaughey wasn’t the only one who had insanely good chemistry with Winslet, either!)
Still, we can’t help but wonder how Hollywood might have been different had McConaughey nabbed that leading role…
Reactions, y’all?!?! Thoughts?! Theories?? Drop ’em (below)!
[Image via MEGA/WENN/20th Century/Paramount/YouTube]
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