Leonardo DiCaprio knelt before Kate Winslet in a pivotal “Titanic” scene.
Winslet, 48, spoke about the Oscar-winning 1997 film at a preview of her new film “Lee” at the 92nd Street Y in New York City on Monday, September 23. During a Q&A, Winslet also revealed some details about the film’s infamous and hotly debated door scene, according to People.
Winslet ventured to suggest that co-star DiCaprio is suffering from “PTSD” because he is constantly asked about the scene in which – spoiler alert – he freezes to death because there is not enough room for him on a floating door where Winslet’s character Rose sought refuge after the sinking of the Titanic.
“It was a pretty strange tank,” Winslet said of the huge water tank used to film the scene. “Because in order to burst the bubble, it was waist-high at the time.”
“Unfortunately, Leo got down on his knees. I shouldn’t say it – Jimmy Cameron is going to call me anyway,” the actress joked, referring to the film’s director, James Cameron.
Although the tank’s blueprints were far from ideal for DiCaprio, Winslet had one major advantage: she could quickly go to the bathroom.
“So the first thing I would do was ask myself, ‘Can I just go pee?’ And then I would get up, get off the door, walk to the edge of the tank, about 20 feet away, and literally have to swing my leg over, climb up, and walk back to the door,” she recalled. “It’s horrible.”
She added: “The amazing thing about the edges of the pool was that it was an infinity pool. So there was a constant rushing of water and you could hear the constant sound of water.”
This sound caused all the actors to be “completely in a loop” for the “last 22 minutes” of the film, Winslet said, “because you could hear this water sound the whole time.”
Looping (ADR) is a process performed after filming of a movie that allows actors to re-record dialogue that was not audible or usable during recording on set.
The Oscar winner also revealed that she secretly sneaked into screenings of Titanic when it was released in theaters after missing the film’s premieres in London and Los Angeles.
“When the film premiered in London, I was really sick. I had a bad case of food poisoning and was actually in a hospital in London, really weird. And then when the film came out in the US, I was actually at a friend’s funeral,” said the “Mare of Easttown” star.
“I mean, it’s horrible to even think about it now. And of course, I didn’t want to miss that, so I kind of missed everything surrounding the release of Titanic, and I don’t know, is this the universe’s way of protecting me, or is it just to remind me to do the things that are important?”
When she then saw the film in front of an audience in a “packed cinema” and slipped into the screenings unnoticed, she found it “quite strange”.
The actress has spoken fondly about Titanic throughout her career and has not shied away from talking about the blockbuster that made her a superstar.
And although she struggled with the sudden fame she gained after the film, she sees things differently now. “It’s not a burden, none of it,” Winslet told Porter in February.
“(Titanic) continues to bring people great joy. The only time I think, ‘Oh God, hide,’ is when we’re on a boat somewhere.”
Winslet’s latest film, “Lee,” hits U.S. theaters on September 27.