'Titanic': Kate Winslet Said She Was 'Genuinely Frightened' of James Cameron: 'He Has a Temper Like You Wouldn't Believe'
Simone Torn
Kate Winslet and James Cameron notoriously failed to get along while shooting Titanic. And although Winslet admits the director has calmed down since the 1997 classic, she said that while filming the romance movie about the ship of dreams, there were times when she was "genuinely frightened" of the director because of his unbelievable temper.
The movie 'Titanic', directed by James Cameron. Seen here, Kate Winslet as Rose | CBS via Getty Images
James Cameron referred to Kate Winslet as 'Kate-weighs-a-lot' while shooting 'Titanic'
Rolling Stone has confirmed the rumors to be true: The director of the film referred to his leading actress as "Kate-weighs-a-lot" during the shoot.
Not only did he hurl hurtful names her way, but he also put the red-haired starlet (along with the rest of his actors/crew) in gravely dangerous situations just to get the perfect shot.
Wishing director @JimCameron a happy birthday! pic.twitter.com/jvDAobQrhZ
— Titanic (@TitanicMovie) August 16, 2019
RELATED: Kate Winslet Said Leonardo DiCaprio 'Hated' Kissing Her in 'Titanic' and 'Complained Bitterly' About Their On-Screen Kiss
Winslet says that by the end of a long day of shooting, she would be covered in bloody bruises that made her look "battered."
"I would have so many bruises that the hair and makeup girls would come and say, 'Oh, can we just photograph your arms?' And they would photograph my deep bloody bruises," she told Extra during a Titanic anniversary celebration.
Titanic was called the Ship of Dreams, and it was. It really was. #ValentinesDay pic.twitter.com/fZ3n8H01mC
— Titanic (@TitanicMovie) February 14, 2018
RELATED: Kate Winslet Thinks Jack Could Have Lived at the End of 'Titanic'
But apparently, they snapped the pictures for "photo research when they were doing the makeup on someone who was playing a battered wife. That was how injured (I was,)" said Winslet. Quickly, she adds, "But we were all like that. It was unavoidable, and it didn't matter how much safety we had in place. Didn't matter how brilliant our stunt coordinator was and how taken care of we were. It was completely unavoidable."
Kate Winslet found James Cameron 'genuinely terrifying' because of his temper
#KateWinslet visits @colbertlateshow tonight to talk #Titanic's 20th Anniversary! Get tickets to an anniversary screening in @Dolby cinema: https://t.co/B77VP6mg47 #Titanic20Years pic.twitter.com/fZQdB3uhe1
— Titanic (@TitanicMovie) November 30, 2017
Cameron isn't known for being a soft and fuzzy director. Once he has an artistic vision in mind, he will stop at nothing until he gets the right shot. Because of this, it doesn't come as a big surprise that he had a severe temper when things didn't go according to plan. And according to Winslet, his temper could be genuinely horrific at times.
"He has a temper like you wouldn't believe," she once told the LA Times, adding, "There were times I was genuinely frightened of him."
#WCW The gorgeous #KateWinslet as Rose. https://t.co/D8TLM5y1Mt pic.twitter.com/HA47j5sPLu
— Titanic (@TitanicMovie) July 12, 2017
Yet, even so, the starlet understood the enormous amount of pressure that Cameron was under. "I did like him, and I did come to understand him," she told the magazine. "There were times he was very understanding. A couple of times, I felt he was someone I could take a country walk with and enjoy it."
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio would work 20-hour days while shooting 'Titanic'
"You jump, I jump, remember? I can't turn away without knowing you'll be all right…That's all that I want." pic.twitter.com/2dea22lu
— Titanic (@TitanicMovie) September 3, 2012
Unfortunately, to make a cinematic triumph in such a short amount of time, it required unthinkable work hours. And according to Winslet, sometimes she and DiCaprio would have 20-hour workdays.
"The first day started at 5 a.m. and went on to 1 a.m," she told the magazine. "Nothing could have prepared me for it. There were quite a few 20-hour days. And two-thirds of it was night shooting–because the Titanic sunk at night. It was every man for himself on the set–you had to ensure that you snatched some sleep during the day, with a black eye mask on. Sometimes you'd find yourself having lunch at 2 a.m. or breakfast at 4 p.m. It was very disorienting."