Matthew McConaughey lost the chance to star in Titanic after refusing to drop his Southern accent during his audition, according to a new memoir from the film's producer.
In his book The Bigger Picture, Jon Landau recalled that McConaughey impressed alongside Kate Winslet but clashed with director James Cameron over his drawl. Landau wrote: “Matthew did the scene with the drawl. ‘That’s great’ said Jim. ‘Now let’s try it a different way’. Matthew said, ‘No. That was pretty good. Thanks’. Let’s just say, that was it for McConaughey.”
The actor, who went on to win an Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club in 2014, later told The Hollywood Reporter he felt confident after the audition but was never offered the role. Landau passed away in July 2024 at age 63.
Separately, The Goonies star Corey Feldman revealed in March he was considered for the part, while Margot Robbie said she listened to the film’s theme to cry on set of The Wolf of Wall Street last year.
