Johnny Depp turned down the lead in Titanic after struggling with the script
He quit after struggling through roughly 15 pages of James Cameron’s script, yet predicted the film would be a blockbuster.
It is difficult today to imagine anyone other than Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson in the landmark film Titanic, yet the part was initially offered to Johnny Depp. The actor ultimately turned down the lead after finding the early pages of the script hard to get through, even though he later recognised the movie's enormous potential.
Depp received the screenplay from director James Cameron and examined the offer for the male lead. He later described how uncomfortable he felt while reading the material.
One moment of frustration, a lifelong what-if
"I struggled reading about 15 pages of the Titanic script. It was awful. I mean, I couldn't take it," Depp said, recalling why he stepped away from the project. Despite that reaction, he added that he instinctively understood what the film might become.
"I knew Titanic would be a huge hit," he said, acknowledging the scale of the phenomenon the film went on to become.
Other prominent actors were reportedly considered or auditioned for Jack Dawson, including Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, Chris O'Donnell, Christian Bale and Paul Rudd. In the end, the role went to Leonardo DiCaprio, and Titanic secured its place as one of cinema's most significant box-office and cultural phenomena.
Photo: press material from the event
