Kate Winslet recently reflected on the difficulties of filming the iconic “I’m flying” scene in James Cameron’s 1997 Oscar-winning film, ‘Titanic’.
In a video with Vanity Fair, the actress shared her behind-the-scenes experiences, revealing that the romantic sequence with Leonardo DiCaprio was more challenging than it appeared.
Winslet recalled the kissing scene where her character, Rose, embraces DiCaprio’s Jack. “My God, he’s quite the romancer, isn’t he? No wonder every young girl in the world wanted to be kissed by Leonardo DiCaprio,” she remarked. However, she admitted, “It was not all it’s cracked up to be.”
The actress explained that their makeup constantly required touch-ups between takes. “We kept doing this kiss, and I’ve got a lot of pale makeup on… I would end up looking as though I’d been sucking a caramel chocolate bar after each take because his makeup would come off on me,” she said. DiCaprio, in turn, looked like “there was a bit missing from his face” due to the residue from her makeup. “Oh God, it was such a mess,” she added.
Winslet described the shoot as a “nightmare” due to lighting issues and the inaccessibility of the makeup team at their filming location. “Leo couldn’t stop laughing, and we had to reshoot this about four times because [director James Cameron] wanted a very specific light… and the sunsets kept changing where we were,” she recalled. Additionally, the set was a section of the ship that required climbing a ladder to access, making it difficult for the hair and makeup team to reach them.
Despite these challenges, Winslet and DiCaprio managed to maintain their appearances. “Leo looks completely natural but he had to lie on sunbeds and there’s a lot of fake tan makeup going on,” she noted. Winslet even kept makeup supplies hidden in her dress to redo their makeup between takes.
Reflecting on the film’s enduring success, Winslet expressed her pride. “I do feel very proud of it, because I feel that it is that film that just keeps giving,” she said. “Whole other generations of people are discovering the film or seeing it for the first time, and there’s something extraordinary about that.”
