Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet starred in the biggest film of their career, Titanic in 1997 which also turned out to be their most successful film to date. The James Cameron-directed film has become an iconic film due to the sizzling chemistry between the two leads and the visual spectacle that the film provided.
Cameron and his crew went to great lengths to make sure that the film looked epic and authentic to the real tragedy. But one incident proved disastrous as most of the crew who worked on the film including Cameron were poisoned with PCP and were all rushed to the hospital.
Also read: “We really want this”: World’s Richest Franchise Desperately Wanted Leonardo DiCaprio in Lead Role
Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet Escaped Being Poisoned On-Set
James Cameron mounted Titanic on a huge budget and a large crew to produce a visually and emotionally impactful film. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet got a lot of praise for the roles of Jack and Rose and the film still remains a great piece of cinema to this day. However, the two actors nearly escaped a deadly incident on set.
In an interview with Tom Power on the film’s 25th Anniversary, Cameron revealed that the crew consumed PCP-spiked chowder and were all rushed to the hospital. DiCaprio and Winslet were not present on-set at the time. He also told Power that he has his own suspicions about who he thinks did the cruel deed. Cameron said,
“This is a 100 percent true story. You haven’t lived until you’ve been high on PCP, which by the way, I do not recommend to anyone. “There was an emergency room with no one in it and, like, a nurse, and 85 crew members walk in. We don’t know what’s going on. And basically, somebody had taken a pound of PCP and dumped it into the chowder. We have a pretty strong suspicion who it was, although it was never proven.”
DiCaprio and Winslet may have heaved a sigh of relief to not be present on that particular day. However, this behind-the-scenes story is interesting yet shocking to know.
Also read: 1 Actor Who Made Even Leonardo DiCaprio Go “Oh S—t, Game on!” During a Martin Scorsese Movie
Kate Winslet Says She Immediately Clicked with Leonardo DiCaprio on Titanic
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio have maintained a very close friendship ever since they collaborated on Titanic. They have developed a very close bond in real life and Winslet revealed that she developed an instant chemistry with DiCaprio when they first met on set of the film.
In a featurette from the upcoming 4K HD DVD release of Titanic (via Entertainment Tonight), Winslet says that she instantly bonded with DiCaprio and they both enjoyed working with each other on the film. She says,
“We did click immediately right away. He was this kind of mess of long, skinny, uncoordinated limbs. And he was just very free with himself, and he had this effervescent energy that was really magnetic. And I remember thinking, ‘Oh, this is gonna be fun. We’re definitely gonna get along.’ And we just really did. We just really did.”
They worked together again in 2008’s Revolutionary Road. They have always spoken highly of each other in media interactions and they recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of the film along with director James Cameron.
