Who can forget Frances Fisher’s portrayal of Rose’s overbearing and sympathetic mother in ‘Titanic‘, right? Well, as it turns out, her spot improvisation could have been what tipped the odds in her favour.
But her recent revelation of how she got the part makes it all the more interesting. The renowned actress recalled her in-person screen test for ‘Titanic’ with James Cameron, during which she had James Cameron climb onto a conference table.
Frances Fisher Broke The Rules In Her Wild ‘Titanic’ Audition
In a podcast with Steve Kmetko on Still Here Hollywood, the actress recalls meeting James Cameron in a “lumberjack shirt and jeans”. Not recognising his simple outfit, she asked, “Where’s Mr. Cameron?” only for him to casually respond with “That’s me!”.
Related: Margot Robbie Reveals How ‘Wuthering Heights’ Could Be Current Generation’s ‘Titanic’
The rapport that was built immediately made for entertaining shots in the audition conference room, and the actress shared one that stood apart. She particularly remembers Cameron skipping ahead of some of the initial scenes, suggesting, “Let’s just focus on the end of the movie.”
After a few shots, Cameron “pulls out his Super eight……Then comes the scene where I’m supposed to be in the boat, and Kate is up on the deck, and I say, ‘Get in the boat!“
In that moment, she made a bold suggestion that changed everything. She told Cameron, “You’ll probably want to shoot down on me. Can we get on the table, and I’ll step down into the chair, and then you’ll be able to shoot down on me?”. Instead of hesitating, Cameron immediately agreed, and soon everyone in the room climbed onto the conference table.
He went on to say, “That’s a great idea. Let’s do it“. Then they proceeded to do just that. In the end, Cameron even ended up joking about Fisher’s spontaneity, saying, “Well, if I’m sick, you’ll know how to shoot the scene.”
Frances Fisher Reflects On Playing Ruth DeWitt Bukater
Recalling the fond memory, the actress continued to say, “I knew I wanted to do it. I understood that character and the line where ‘women, our choices are never easy’, I wanted to say that line badly,” referring to her role.
In case you missed it: Leonardo DiCaprio’s Biggest Regret Is Turning Down A “Masterpiece” Movie For ‘Titanic’
Ruth DeWitt Bukater was perhaps the most realistic character of the bunch, portraying the demands and internalized ideals of society at the time. Fisher’s portrayal of the character was definitely what added to her strong presence in the movie.
The deep layers woven into Ruth and other characters in the film are enough to prove the screenplay brilliance of ‘Titanic’! Fisher seems to agree to this, stating how reading some scenes resulted in “tear stains on certain pieces”. Turns out, climbing onto a conference room table wasn’t such a strange idea after all!
You might also like to read: How Kurt Russell’s “Ten-Dollar” Line Saved ‘Titanic’ From Bombing At The Box Office
