Advertisement

Paul Rudd told Leonardo DiCaprio to do Titanic

(left to right) Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro, Sienna Miller, Paul Rudd and James Blunt during the filming for the Graham Norton Show at BBC Studioworks 6 Television Centre, Wood Lane, London, to be aired on BBC One on Friday evening. (Photo by Isabel Infantes/PA Images via Getty Images)
Paul Rudd joins Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro, Sienna Miller and James Blunt on the Graham Norton Show on Friday evening. (Photo by Isabel Infantes/PA Images via Getty Images)

Back in 2016, Paul Rudd revealed he’d auditioned for the lead role in James Cameron’s monster hit Titanic. But what he didn’t go on to say at the time, was that he’d actually told Leonardo DiCaprio to take the role.

The Ant-Man actor made the revelation on The Graham Norton Show. “It was my last day of filming on Romeo & Juliet and we all went out to a bar afterwards,” Rudd explained. “I was riding to the place with Leo and he said I’ve just been offered this movie – it’s a big studio picture – it was Titanic.”

Read more: Paul Rudd wants 'Ant-Man' fans to campaign for a third movie

Rudd’s father was actually a Titanic specialist, so he was able to give the young actor some advice on the subject. He continued, “I said that’s incredible, because I knew a lot about Titanic because my dad kept talking about it – and we just had a conversation about it. He was saying I don’t know what I’ll do and I said ‘you should do it!’”

“I don’t think I had any say, but it is kind of interesting to think back on that. Because he did it you know.”

The Clueless actor admitted he’d auditioned for the main part himself several years ago while on The Late Late Show with James Corden. “I auditioned for Titanic. I really wanted to get the part because my dad was a Titanic historian, so I knew so much about the ship. I went into the audition talking about the steel that was used at Harland and Wolff and they just oh, ok none of this matters.”

Read more: Diane Lane and Paul Rudd recreated that famous scene from “Titanic”

Rudd admitted that he thought the best person got the job and then went on to recreate the iconic scene with Jack and Rose on the boat with Diane Lane.