Kate Winslet's Titanic Screen Test Was Almost As Epic As The Movie

Cameron explained, "We were looking at all the up-and-coming young actresses, and Kate's name kept coming up." Once on his radar, Cameron decided to meet the 19-year-old actress and offered her an audition. Other contenders for the role included Gwyneth Paltrow, Winona Ryder, Claire Danes and Reese Witherspoon, but in the end there was only one actress perfect for the role of forcing Jack to freeze to death by not sharing her wooden float: Kate frickin' Winslet. And she proved it when they brought her in for a screen test.

Winslet's screen test has been circulating the internet for a few years now, and you can check out the entirety above. The video sees her reading opposite Jeremy Sisto (aka Elton from 'Clueless, aka Billy from 'Six Feet Under'), and it wasn't a joke: they're both in costume, in a room that suits the setting. Landau explained:

"We set up, really, an old-fashioned screen test. And when I say old-fashioned, we found a period setting and we put them in costume. And on the way out of that, there was no doubt in our minds that Kate Winslet was the right person to play Rose."

Of course, the video shows Winslet proving she's the only woman for the role by bringing Rose DeWitt Bukater to life. In a way, the character already feels fully realized in her hands: a miserable heiress with hidden depths who dreams of taking control of her life. Although she has yet to read with the scene partner she will eventually go down in history with, Winslet's screen test proves she connected with Rose early on.

"Titanic" will be released in theaters on February 10, 2023.