Matthew McConaughey Clarifies He ‘Didn’t Turn Down’ “Titanic” After His ‘Great Audition’ for the Lead

The actor said he auditioned for the role alongside Kate Winslet

NEED TO KNOW

• Matthew McConaughey clarified he was never offered the lead role in Titanic despite longstanding rumors
• He auditioned for the role alongside Kate Winslet and believed he gave a strong performance but was not cast
• A producer’s memoir earlier claimed McConaughey’s Southern accent clashed with director James Cameron’s vision for the character

Matthew McConaughey clarifies that, despite rumors to the contrary, he never turned down the lead role in Titanic.

Reports have surfaced over the years that McConaughey turned down the role of Jack Dawson, which ultimately went to Leonardo DiCaprio in a star-making role.

In a new interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, the 56-year-old actor said: “I’ve been told many times, ‘Hey, I can’t believe you turned down Titanic.’ I’m like, ‘I didn’t turn down Titanic.’ And they’re like, ‘Well, [director James] Cameron said [that],’ and I said, ‘I never got offered that part.’ And if I did, I need to find that agent. That agent owes me money.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

McConaughey then reiterated: “I never got offered that. So, whatever that mixed story is, I had heard that. The truth is, I never got offered that.”

He acknowledged that he did, however, audition for the role, adding, “I did have a great — what I thought — was a great audition. The producers were there. I had it with Kate [Winslet]. Um, I walked out of there feeling like, ‘I think I got that role.’ And did not.”

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Others involved in the making of the film have alleged that the actor lost out on the role because he didn’t let go of his Southern accent.

According to a memoir by the film’s producer Jon Landau, actress Kate Winslet (who was cast for the role of Rose) “was taken with Matthew, his presence and charm,” but his accent did not resonate with the film’s director, James Cameron, who told the actor, “That’s great, now let’s try it a different way.”

But McConaughey felt otherwise, telling Cameron, “No. That was pretty good. Thanks,” writes the producer.

Read the full article here