‘Leo, I’m afraid to say, was kneeling down’: Kate Winslet’s comments on her famous ‘Titanic’ scene with Leonardo DiCaprio have ruined everything

The sinking of the Titanic remains one of history’s worst shipping tragedies, but the event also inspired James Cameron to create a heartwrenching romance that remains one of cinema’s greatest masterpieces. The 1997 film Titanic focused on characters Rose Dewitt Bukater and Jack Dawson, played by Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, respectively, and how their tragic love story plays out amid, well, more tragedy.

It is their final scene together that is the most traumatic and emotional. Rose can be seen lying on a floating wooden door, part of the ship’s wreckage, while Jack holds on gently, before succumbing to his fate in the freezing water. Fans desperate for a happy ending have taken it upon themselves to question whether Jack could have fit on the door with Rose. The debate rages on.

We are fully aware that the film was created on a secure set, but Winslet’s recent comments have ruined some of the drama for us. She was questioned about this scene yet again while participating in a Q&A to promote her new film, Lee.

Kate Winslet shares new information about Titanic‘s door scene

“Well, that was quite an awkward tank … because to burst the bubble, it was waist height at that time,” Winslet told the crowd in New York City, as reported by People. This means that despite DiCaprio’s brilliant and compelling performance, he could have stood up at any time, and for some reason, this knowledge spoils the scene (but only a little).

“Anyway, yeah. So it was waist-high. Leo, I’m afraid to say, was kneeling down. I shouldn’t be saying anyways, Jimmy Cameron’s gonna be ringing me,” she said. “Actually, the thing that was amazing about the edges of the tank was that it was an infinity tank. So there was constant water rushing, and you could hear the constant sound of water.”

At the event, Winslet also recalled having to use the bathroom multiple times, but getting off the door and climbing out of the tank was arduous, and she referred to it as “terrible.”

The stars of Titanic have been asked the question about Jack’s possible survival more times than they care to count. But can we get one final answer as to why Rose didn’t just make room for the love of her life on that door? In 2023, for a National Geographic special, Titanic: 25 Years Later With James Cameron, the director worked with a team to recreate several scenarios involving the characters on the door. The goal was to see whether it was plausible for Jack to have lived.

They tested four theories, and while some of the results showed that both characters could have survived, the findings also indicated that Rose’s chances of survival would have decreased.

“He got into a place where if we projected that out, he just might’ve made it until the lifeboat got there,” Cameron said, as reported by Entertainment Weekly. “Jack might’ve lived, but there’s a lot of variables. I think his thought process was, ‘I’m not going to do one thing that jeopardized her,’ and that’s 100 percent in character.”