It’s hard to believe that it’s been 25 years since Titanic first hit our screens – the iconic film that made its stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio more famous than they could ever have imagined.
The movie, which was rereleased on 10 February to mark the anniversary, was based on the tragic events of 1912, when more than 1,500 people drowned in the North Atlantic after a luxury steamship hit an iceberg and subsequently sank.
We sobbed in cinemas across the country all those years ago as we watched Rose (played by Winslet) and Jack (played by DiCaprio) fall madly in love, only for him to lose his life as he bravely saved hers.
But it wasn’t just the relationship between Kate and Leo’s characters that we were emotionally invested in. We found ourselves equally swept up in the real-life bond that the actors had established on set and loved the fact that they were so close in real life.
Unlike many Hollywood friendships, this connection has stood the test of time, and Kate isn’t shy when it comes to gushing about how much she loves her old co-star.
The 47-year-old said, “I feel so grateful for that friendship and it is like family. It’s one of those rare Hollywood friendships that I feel very blessed to have.”
Kate, who was only 21 and relatively unknown when she made the film, is the first to admit that she was worried about working with Leo at first in case she fancied him. “I did think to myself beforehand, it’s going to be hard, because you know, what if I really fancy him? And I so thought I was going to, because he is absolutely gorgeous,” she said.
However, shortly after getting to know Leo, who was 22 at the time, Kate realised they were more like siblings. “It was a real brother sister thing. We were very, very, very close and really stuck together,” she added.
She admits that even though there was absolutely no romance between them, her female friends were jealous of her bond with the Hollywood hunk. “The closeness and the strength of the friendship that we had is something a lot of my friends envy like mad. But to me he’s just silly old Leo,” she revealed.
While Kate maintains that she and her co-star “always had a laugh together” and “always got on incredibly well” while making the film, it was certainly a very gruelling experience for the actress.
So much so, in fact, that she ended up with pneumonia after filming scenes in a freezing cold water tank for hours on end.
Kate admitted after filming had finished that she found the director James Cameron “genuinely terrifying” and he himself acknowledged that making the blockbuster, which won 11 Oscars, had not been easy. He said, “I think Kate came out of Titanic a bit traumatised by the scale of the production and her responsibility within it…”
The experience didn’t put her off working with Leo again, though, and in 2008 they collaborated on Revolutionary Road, which was directed by Kate’s then husband, Sam Mendes, 57.
The actress fell in love with Mendes shortly after her first marriage to Jim Threapleton (with whom she shares a 21-year-old daughter, Mia) ended after three years in 2001.
Kate had first met theatre director Sam to talk about the possibility of doing a play with him, but while she turned down the work offer, the couple quickly fell in love after being set up at a barbecue by their mutual friend, Emma Thompson.
Talking about the fact that it was suggested that there had been an overlap between her relationship with Jim and Sam, Kate said, “We knew that they would say we had been having an affair. We weren’t stupid. Though, of course, it wasn’t true.”
Unsurprisingly, Revolutionary Road – which centres on April and Frank, a married couple whose relationship is in trouble – was a huge hit and during a series of interviews to promote the film, Kate and Leo spoke very publicly about their continuing love and affection for each other.
Leo, 48, said, “We were actively looking for something to do together. It felt really natural. She’s my homie.”
Talking about filming difficult scenes with her, he explained, “We can push the boundaries with each other. We use the fact that we’ve been such good friends through the years to our advantage. There’s definitely a comfort level that we have between us and we challenge each other as actors.”
Kate, however, admitted that filming sex scenes with Leo in front of her husband was not comfortable. She said, “It was the element of, ‘OK my husband is over there.’ That was a bit weird.”
However awkward she may have felt about getting it on with another man in front of Sam, Leo insisted she was the “consummate professional” and Kate won a Golden Globe in 2009 for her portrayal of April.
As you would expect, her co-star got a big mention in her speech. The emotional actress said, “Leo, I’m so happy I can stand here and tell you how much I love you, and how much I’ve loved you for 13 years,” she said. “I love you with all my heart, I really do.”
Sadly for Kate, who has won a string of awards throughout her career, including an Academy Award, three Baftas, five Golden Globes and two Emmys, her personal life has followed a slightly rockier path than her professional one. She and Sam separated in 2010 after seven years of marriage.
That said, the couple, who share a son, Joe, 19, kept things very amicable and after their divorce, Kate said, “One thing I will say about me and Sam is that it’s fine, it’s really fine.
We’re grown-ups at the end of the day, and however hard it’s been for me, it’s been equally hard for him. And we have a child together who we both love — and raising him together, jointly and without any conflict, is absolutely key.”
It was a case of third time lucky for Kate. The star of smash hits such as The Reader and Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind finally found her happy ever after when she fell in love with Sir Richard Branson’s nephew while holidaying on his estate on Necker Island in 2011.
The star married Ned Rocknroll (real name Edward Abel Smith), 45, in December 2012 in New York, and rumour has it that it was none other than her friend Leo who walked her down the aisle.
Talking about Neddy, as she calls him, Kate describes him as “the superhot, superhuman, stay-at-home dad” to their son, Bear, nine. She explains, “He looks after us, especially me. He is the most extraordinary life partner.”
Given that the star is still hugely ambitious, and would love to recreate that magical on-screen chemistry with her old Titanic pal again one day, it’s great to hear that she has such a strong support at home.
Kate has said in the past, “There’s nothing that Leo and I have planned. But as always I would love to work with him again one day but who knows? It might not happen until we’re 70.”
