Billy Zane
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Conséquences pour les acteurs
Le succès de Titanic donne une impulsion phénoménale à la carrière des acteurs principaux. Celui qui en bénéficie le plus est Leonardo DiCaprio. De nombreuses fans tombent littéralement amoureuses de lui, se bousculant pour revoir le film.
Les journaux parlent de « DiCaprio-mania » pour désigner ce phénomène. Cette frénésie n'est cependant pas du goût de tous, et contrairement à Kate Winslet et Gloria Stuart, DiCaprio n'est pas nommé aux Oscars.
Sa carrière de star est cependant bien lancée. Ainsi, les deux autres films où il tient le premier rôle cette année-là, Roméo + Juliette (ça j'ai detesté!) et L'Homme au masque de fer profitent de cette nouvelle notoriété.
Les spectateurs du deuxième film sont à 55 % féminins, et à 46 % âgés de moins de 25 ans. DiCaprio devient un acteur convoité. Ainsi, son cachet, qui n'était que de 2,5 millions de dollars pour Titanic, passe à 20 millions pour La Plage, sorti en 2000.
Il tourne ensuite avec des réalisateurs tels que Steven Spielberg et Martin Scorsese, est nommé trois fois aux Oscars et remporte un Golden Globe. Il regrette cependant d'avoir eu cette étiquette d'idole qu'il n'a jamais désirée.
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TRIVIA
-This was the first time the Best Song Oscar (for "My Heart Will Go On") was won by a non-musical Best Picture winner. Best Song Oscar had been won by Best Picture winner only twice before (La route semée d'étoiles and Gigi, both musicals).
-James Cameron's regular Michael Biehn was nearly cast as Cal Hockley and attended numerous meetings with Cameron to discuss the role. Rob Lowe, Rupert Everett, Peter Greene and Pierce Brosnan were also considered, though ultimately the part went to Billy Zane.
-After finding out that she had to be naked in front of Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet decided to break the ice, and when they first met, she flashed him.
-Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet committed to the film even before the script was written, on the basis only of a 165-page outline James Cameron had written.
-Christian Bale auditioned for the role of Jack Dawson, but was turned down because James Cameron didn't want two British actors playing the lead roles of two Americans.
-Anthony Higgins turned down a role in this movie to do a play.
-With her nomination for Best Supporting Actress at age 87, Gloria Stuart became the oldest person to ever be nominated for an Oscar.
-Gwyneth Paltrow was also up for the role of Rose Dewitt Bukater but lost to Kate Winslet.
-In the movie the original script included scenes of newlywed couple Daniel and Mary Marvin, Daniel being a cameraman and son of Henry Marvin, co-founder of the movie production company American Mutoscope & Biograph. Daniel Marvin died aboard the Titanic, but not without photographing some of the only existing film of the liner.
-Even though the actors wore waterproof makeup for the scenes shot in the aftermath of the sinking, they constantly required touch-ups, as chemicals in the pool they shot in would wash the makeup off.
-As a joke in the edit suite, James Cameron had a razor blade with a label that said "Use only if movie doesn't work".
-The first film to be released on video (DVD/VHS) while it was still being shown in theaters.
-Bernard Fox appeared as Lookout Frederick Fleet in Atlantique, latitude 41° (uncredited) and as Col. Archibald Gracie in this film.
-Harland and Wolff, the Belfast shipyard who built the Titanic in 1909, opened up their private archives to the production, sharing blueprints that were long thought lost.
-All the artifacts were created from scratch by Peter Lamont's production design team to recreate the newness of everything on the ship.
-For the safety of the stuntmen, most of the props were made of foam rubber.
-The schedule was originally meant to last 138 days but grew to 160 - 20 days short of 6 months.
-To sink the Grand Staircase into the purpose-built 5 million gallon tank, 90,000 gallons of water were dumped through it as it was lowered into the tank. Such was the volume that the staircase was ripped from its steel-reinforced foundations.
