Matthew McConaughey lost lead ‘Titanic’ role for refusing director James Cameron’s simple request

Matthew McConaughey was nearly cast as Jack Dawson in “Titanic,” but reportedly lost the iconic role over creative differences with director James Cameron.

Journalist Matthew Belloni’s newsletter, “What I’m Hearing,” features an excerpt from the record-breaking film’s producer Jon Landau’s posthumous book, “The Bigger Picture,” which explains what allegedly happened during the Texas-born actor’s audition.

“We brought him in to do a scene with Kate [Winslet]. You want to check for chemistry, not just how people look on film but how they interact,” Landau writes in his memoir, per the newsletter.

“Kate was taken with Matthew, his presence and charm. Matthew did the scene with the drawl.”

When McConaughey, now 55, spoke with a Southern accent, Cameron, now 70, reportedly told him “That’s great,” but added, “Now let’s try it a different way.”

Dawson was meant to be an orphaned man from Chippewa Falls, Wis., trying to make his way back to the US via the doomed ocean liner after traveling abroad.

Landau claims McConaughey flat-out told Cameron after his accent change request, “No. That was pretty good. Thanks,” costing him the part.

Page Six reached out to reps for the actor and director for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Although Leonardo DiCaprio was eventually cast as Dawson opposite Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater, the “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” star didn’t make Cameron’s job any easier in his own audition.

In 2022, the Oscar-winning filmmaker told GQ that when he asked DiCaprio, now 50, to read the script during an impromptu test shoot, he told him, “Oh, I don’t read.”

However, when Cameron let him know that if he didn’t read, he wouldn’t get the part, DiCaprio reluctantly agreed to run through lines and knocked the audition out of the park.

The famed director said, “Kate just lit up … dark clouds had opened up and a ray of sun came down and lit up Jack. I’m like, ‘Alright, he’s the guy.’”