Matthew McConaughey came closer than most people realize to landing one of the biggest movie roles of the 1990s.
In an excerpt from late Titanic producer Jon Landau’s memoir, “The Bigger Picture,” obtained by Matthew Belloni’s What I’m Hearing newsletter, Landau recalled McConaughey’s audition for the role of Jack Dawson in the Oscar-winning epic.
“We brought him in to do a scene with Kate [Winslet]. You want to check for chemistry — not just how people look on film, but how they interact,” Landau wrote. “Kate was taken with Matthew, his presence and charm. Matthew did the scene with the drawl.”
Matthew McConaughey came closer than most people realize to landing one of the biggest movie roles of the 1990s.
In an excerpt from late Titanic producer Jon Landau’s memoir, “The Bigger Picture,” obtained by Matthew Belloni’s What I’m Hearing newsletter, Landau recalled McConaughey’s audition for the role of Jack Dawson in the Oscar-winning epic.
“We brought him in to do a scene with Kate [Winslet]. You want to check for chemistry — not just how people look on film, but how they interact,” Landau wrote. “Kate was taken with Matthew, his presence and charm. Matthew did the scene with the drawl.”
According to Landau’s memoir, after McConaughey finished the scene in his signature Texas drawl, director James Cameron offered some direction.
“That’s great, now let’s try it a different way,” Cameron reportedly told him.
But McConaughey allegedly declined, responding, “No. That was pretty good. Thanks.”
Matthew McConaughey
“Let’s just say, that was it for McConaughey,” Landau recalled in the book.
The role ultimately went to Leonardo DiCaprio, who had already earned acclaim for films like What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Romeo + Juliet. His turn as Jack Dawson not only cemented his place in Hollywood but also transformed him into an international star and teen heartthrob.
McConaughey has reflected on his Titanic audition before. In a 2021 interview on Rob Lowe’s podcast “Literally! With Rob Lowe,” he admitted that after reading for the part, he “really thought it was going to happen.”
“So I went and read with Kate Winslet, and it was not one of the auditions — they filmed it, so it was like into screen test time,” McConaughey explained. “After we left, you know, it was one of those ones where they, like, followed me, and when we got outside, they were like, ‘That went great.’ I mean, kind of, like, hugs. I really thought it was going to happen. It did not.”
Winslet — who went on to earn an Academy Award nomination for her role as Rose DeWitt Bukater — remembered auditioning with McConaughey during a 2017 appearance on The Late Show. She called his audition “completely fantastic” but admitted the film would have been different if he had been cast. “It just wouldn’t have been the whole ‘Jack and Rose, Kate and Leo’ thing,” she said.
Although McConaughey missed out on starring in one of the most iconic love stories in cinema, his career hardly stalled. He went on to win an Academy Award for Dallas Buyers Club and earned an Emmy nomination for his performance in season one of True Detective.
On Lowe’s podcast, McConaughey also cleared up a persistent Hollywood rumor — that he had been offered the role of Jack but turned it down. He said he even asked Cameron himself to confirm that he was never formally offered the part.
“Not factual. I did not get offered that role,” McConaughey said. “For a while, I was saying, ‘I gotta find that agent. They’re in trouble…’ I did not ever get the offer.”
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