'The Oprah Winfrey Show' - 'Secrets of Titanic' Special

January 20, 1998

I have transcribed much of the Oprah Winfrey tribute to "Titanic," first broadcast on January 20, 1998. This was a wonderful interview with Kate, as she and Oprah clicked like 'best buddies.' Kate was, as usual, very enthusiastic and upbeat. I have also done several screen captures.

Kate: [Overwhelmed by the reception] That's incredible!

Oh, thank you so much! My God!

Oh, Kate, we were just looking at that great kissing scene. 'I'm flying, I'm flying.' When you saw that, or when you were doing that scene, did you think it was going to become one of the, you know, great kisses of all time?

You don't ever really think ahead. I mean, I try to stay so much in the moment. Certainly, on paper and in the screenplay we always knew it was a very important and passionate moment.

So, we knew it. But, it didn't… To be honest with you, at the time it was a bit of a rush, and we had to do it in lots of kind of chopped up little bits.

How much time did you spend making this movie?

Seven months, it was a seven-month shoot. But there was a lot of, kind of, preparation time for me back home in England before I went to start the shoot with, sort of, getting into the dialect, and understanding what it was like to be an upper-class girl at the age of 17 in 1912 in Philadelphia. I mean, I don't even know what it's like to be an English girl at that time in an upper-class society. So, that, for me, was quite a sort of struggle at first.

What kind of stuff did you do to prepare?

Well I did a lot of…

Because I'm thinking it's fun to be upper class!

It is, it is, but the thing is, I'm sort of not really like that. And so, for me, my favorite scene in the movie, and my favorite scene to shoot was the steerage party. Because I grew up with that kind of music. I mean, my parents were quite sort of 'hippiefied.'

Yeah, that was my sort of highlight moment. [Clip of steerage party scene] Yeah, this is it.

That's great.

We had such a fantastic time.

I think it was a day, actually, a very long day.

Just doing that scene? Wow.

Yeah, but also, all the dancers were professional dancers, and there's nothing more exciting than dancing with a proper professional dancer. [Kate is very enthusiastic here] And so, everyone was really just, sort of, 'up' for it, and the music was great…

That's your favorite scene?

That's my favorite scene.

OK, what about when you all are in the back… when you are like makin' out and the steam comes on the window? [Audience laughter and applause]

[Adopting a 'Valley Girl' voice and accent] Oh, like that scene? [More laughter]

Yeah, like that scene.

OK, that scene. Actually, I have to tell you it was probably one of the most uncomfortable scene to shoot, cause it was a tiny little space, and we had all this…

Well, anybody who's ever done 'it' in a back seat knows it's not the nicest space in the world. [Interrupted by audience laughter]

No, it's not easy! So, this was, kind of, difficult, too. And we had lots of glycerin all over our skin to make us look sweaty. But, now, fluff sticks to glycerin. We were covered in fluff, Leo had my make-up on him, I had his make-up on me, our legs were very, kind of, tangled up, and my arm went dead at one point.

[Watching clip of 'car' scene] Where's the camera in that shot?

Oh, I can't even remember! It was wedged into some strange position. Those scenes do become so difficult.

[Grabbing Kate's arm] This was my favorite line from that scene...

What?

I just thought of it - we were watching it together - when you said, 'put your hands on me.'

Put your hands on me, Jack.

That's my new line! [Audience erupts in cheers. Kate laughs, holds Oprah's hand in hers for a moment.]

[Laughing] Put your hands on me, Jack. Fabulous!

Isn't that the best? I went home and said to Stedman, 'put your hands on…' And he said, 'what are you talking about?' Anyway, OK, so that was cumbersome, that scene.

Well, it was, for me. Then, when I finally saw it, I thought, 'oh, we look really sweet and lovely, and very, kind of, comfortable.' We really, actually, weren't. But, we did have fun. I mean, that was the great thing. Leo and I always had a laugh together. We always got on incredibly well.

Yeah. And, you know I was like probably all the women in this audience are about Leonardo DiCaprio. Initially, I thought, 'ah, oh, how am I gonna work with this beautiful man [audience laughter] who's such a brilliant actor?' And I met him, and he's so… Honestly, he's so lovely, and down-to-earth, and normal, and so good at what he does, that it was, actually, never about that. It was a real brother-sister thing. We were very, very close, and really stuck together.

Really? And would have to.

Yes.

That was pretty frightening.

Was it frightening?

Well, a little bit, just because we were so, sort of, involved with what was going on. And the water's rushing in, and there's explosions going off all over the place, and water currents underneath.

OK, when you are walking through that water, cause you never know… We're gonna find out later, with James, what's real. So, the water really is up to your waist when you're walking through the water?

Yes.

Cause, you know, I'm one of those people you don't want to go to the movies with. I'm going, 'turn the corner, Rose! Rose! The water's on the stairwell, Rose!'

[Laughing] I know. Well, there's a reaction that is on screen, which is a genuine reaction. Cause Jim had said, 'the water's gonna be pretty cold down there.' And you could feel it in the air, as well. It was very damp. And I come to the bottom of the stairs, and the water is. And I'm thinking, 'you know, I've just got to get in.' So, I get in, and it was, 'aaaaah!' It was absolutely freezing, but, to be honest with you, I don't think I would have had it any other way. And I remember saying to Jim, 'please don't heat the water,' because it would have gotten comfortable.

Then you have to act as if the water is cold.

Like the water is cold, and all the shivering. It just helped to have it freezing. And it would have been much colder for them, really, really, then in 1912.

Everything'd it.

Everything'd it!

Yes, he did.

Well, I always knew that I was part of something very, very special. And everybody there… I mean, all the extras, all the crew members, all the Mexicans, they were so happy to be there, and…

It was, yeah. And that's why…

Cause you all [to audience] are going, 'Mexicans? I didn't see any.' [Audience laughter] People are going, 'Mexicans? Were there Mexicans?' It was in Baja, Mexico, where they built the whole studio.

Yes, so there were a lot of Mexican crewmembers. The atmosphere was so great cause everyone was so excited about it, and just looking around you all the time, and learning so much.

No, I didn't.

I know, it was very, very nice.

It was really, really beautiful, and really fun to wear. And, also, helped as well, because a corset is so… [Makes a face, crossing her eyes]…uncomfortable. But, I'm very, sort of, used to wearing corsets now from other things that I've done. But, it does help, because the posture then was very, sort of, poised and upright, and it really did make a difference. But, I was ready to burn that corset at the end of the day. [Laughs] I was, I was.

[After commercial break and a few more movie clips, we see Cameron seated on the left, Oprah on the right, with Kate in the middle.] It's spectacular! You all didn't see in the commercial break - James Cameron walked out and whole audience stood up. It's because we just love this much talent all in one body. We can't believe it, can we, audience? It seems so real! [Applause]

Cameron: I want a reverse adoption, and have you as my Mom.

Oprah: I think what's exciting about it - and James said, 'do you all do that normally?' No, they don't stand up for people. I'll tell you what's exciting about it, and I know you all are feeling the same thing that I am, is that when you see somebody with this much going on, when you just dare to follow your dream, you just keep at it when everybody says, 'oh, it's over budget, and it's not gonna do this,' and then you keep at it. We see that part of ourselves, the part that would dare to be what you are, and that's what makes up want to stand up and cheer. It really is.

C: Thank you. I think they like the movie, too.

C: Oh yeah, everyday. [Kate laughs]

O: Every day!

C: But, you know, once you're in the situation, you've just got to power through it.

O: How long, and how big of a dream was this for you, James?

C: Five years. Three years of just continuous work on "Titanic," from writing the script three years ago to now. Today's my last official day on "Titanic." We're doing it right now.

K: I didn't know that.

C: Yes. I've been doing a lot of press, and stuff. So, we're going out with a bang. [Applause]

C: No, we didn't know… The budget did go way up beyond, you know, what we thought it was gonna be. But, the film was green-lit at $125 million, so you have to think about that moment in history where a guy at 20th Century Fox said, 'let's make this film.' For $125 million. It's three hours long, almost everybody dies, it's a 'chick flick' that takes place in 1912, it's a movie about feelings. And they thought that would be a good movie to make for $125 million. So, the bravery of that moment, I think, is astounding.

C: That's the real Titanic, yeah.

C: Just float off.

C: Anyone who was really in that space on the real ship, they would have heard that kind of wind chime-like sound of the plates clinking together, because we sank it at the same angle that ship sank at, at the same rate that it was sinking at that point, and the tables were all dressed for breakfast the following morning, and the lights were on. So, it would have looked like that.

K: I know.

C: It got eerie sometimes, like when we shot the scene with the band playing right toward the end, and the ship is actually sinking…

C: Yes, the historian, our consultant can tell you more about that.

C: He the man, yeah.

C: We don't know what he said, that's a little bit of writing magic there.

C: I do, too.

C: Those guys were crazy!

C: Right, we actually built the other side of the ship from what you see, but we only built one side - to save money. [Audience, Oprah and Kate laugh] Don't start with me! And, so, we had to mirror image it for the film. So, all of the writing, and all of the signs, like when the truck drives buy and says 'Southhampton,' it actually said 'notpmahhtuoS,' you know, or whatever.

K: And 'White Star Line' was backwards on their hats.

C: And the fun was to go around and, like, try to pronounce all the signs. Everything was all mirror image.

K: Our ship never moved.

C: That's a model, and Leonardo was shot against a green screen, and put into the model. And all the water is computer animation. There was no water in that shot, no real water. Did I ruin it for you?

C: The dolphins are real.

C: You know, the Titanic is fake, but…

C: No, that's a real drawing, but that's not Leonardo drawing.

K: [Pointing at Cameron] It's him! He did the sketch, he did it.

C: That's my hand, right.

K: He did the sketch. [Audience applauds]

C: Thanks, Kate, thank you.

C: But Leonardo's right-handed, and I'm left-handed.

C: I had to draw it with the right hand.

C: [Shot of Leo's face] That's Leonardo.

K: [Shot of Kate, um, posing] And that was me, actually. [Audience laughter]

C: That's my forty-three-year-old hand there trying to pretend to be twenty.

C: I like the scene at the bow where they kiss for the first time, which you were talking about earlier. [Clip of flying scene] Just because it's one of those moments that is magical. You know, the gods of cinema smiled on us, and gave us a beautiful sunset. And Kate was jumping up and down…

C: Real dolphins, real sunset.

C: Yeah.

K: It was fabulous.

K: It was really, really beautiful, which is precisely why I didn't think about the fact that I was kissing Leonardo DiCaprio.

K: I was too preoccupied with the sunset, and we didn't have time…

C: We had eight minutes to shoot that shot, and Kate was standing up on the bow of the ship screaming at me, 'shoot, shoot, it looks beautiful!' [Shot of Kate listening to him, clearly enjoying his story] I mean, I've never heard an actress say, 'shoot, shoot.' [Audience laughter] I mean, it's usually, 'I'm not ready, I'm not ready.'

K: Oh, we did it so many times, didn't we?

C: It was the one, beautiful shot where she puts her arms out, and he kisses her. It's cut up, you know, into several shots. And then, of course, the wide shot is a digital effects shot that took six months. But, we knew what it was going to look like, what the sky was going to look like, cause we had this great eight minute…

K: It was so stunning, I can't tell you, it really was, it was dream-like, it was so beautiful.

K: [To Cameron] It was cold, wasn't it?

C: Damn cold, I think, is the scientific term for it.

C: Yeah, we added breath, cause it wasn't freezing. I think the water was 50 degrees, or something like that. [The audience oohs and aahs] But, yeah, it was pretty cold.

C: But, in the scene where we added breath, you know, sort of toward the end, the water was, like, 80 degrees.

K: Yeah, it was fairly warm.

C: It was warm in that scene.

C: Yeah, yeah.

K: How many tanks did we have?

C: Many!

K: Yeah, we did have many, many tanks [rolls eyes].

K: Yeah, absolutely, yeah, and Leo was in the water.

K: Absolutely, holding Leo's hand, and getting through all that together. That was tough, actually, it really was.

K: It was my twenty-first birthday, do you remember that?

K: It was my twenty-first birthday, and I told Leo during one of the takes. I said, 'Leo, it's my birthday today.' And he said, 'Sweetie, I really don't care.' [Kate and audience laugh]

C: 'It's my close-up - later.'

C: Oh-oh.

C: [Wiping his brow and laughing] That wasn't so bad! I thought it was gonna be one of those 'tell all' things.

C: But we have to build him up now.

C: There are some useful party lines in this film.

C: But, see, the beauty of it is that all men fall into one category or the other - 'put your hands on me,' or 'you unimaginable bastard.' [Kate and Oprah laugh; audience applauds] Some are in both!

Billy: Oh, yeah, just a little. Geez!

B: It was a gas! It was a hoot.

B: It's good to be bad. It's fun.

O: And you're back home.

B: I am, indeed. Good to be back in Chicago. [Audience applause]

C: Dimension.

B: Dementia?!

C: Complexity, you know. Billy's a complex guy, and I felt that right away. You know, he's brilliant, and in ways that have nothing to do with acting, also. I mean, writing, directing, all that other stuff. And there was just something about him that I knew he would bring a lot of complexity to a character that could be very simple. And he fought for a kind of vulnerability in the character that, I think, makes him more than just a kind of a cardboard villain. Yeah, he grabs the kid and jumps in the lifeboat, but he also loves her, you know. And when he's searching for her…

B: Perhaps the most memorable was the spitting sequence, I think. [Audience applauds]

K: [Waving her fist in the air] Yes, yes! And I would like to say, that was all my idea.

B: It was the most humbling experience I think I could imagine. [Audience laughter] No, we did this twenty-seven times.

C: Yeah.

K: Oh, no! [She starts to disagree, smiling]

C: Kate got better each time, so I didn't want to stop, she was getting so good. [Audience laughter]

B: We did it a lot, and she got a little dry at one point, at which point someone thought of the brainchild of including a little assistance by means of KY [petroleum jelly], so…

K: They'd run in just before Jim would yell, 'action,' and put this blob of KY jelly on my tongue! [She makes a face like she's tasted something horrendous, and waves her arms around]

B: Oh, it was pretty brutal. But the problem was, there were, like, four hundred people standing around, watching this, you know, between takes. Twenty-seven times, it was like some kind of, I don't know, some kind of, like EST retreat, or something. It was…

C: He was a trouper, though. I could see him closing down. After the first few takes, he was kind of like, 'how many times are we gonna do this?'

C: Right, but she got better each time.

K: For true love?

K: I would have done.

K: Yeah, I would have done.

C: I don't see a lot of male hands going up.

K: [Shaking head] No, no, no. If I had ever been - I mean, I don't think I have - but if I had been as in love with Jack as Rose was with Jack, there'd be no way I would have wanted to go it alone. I mean, even if he was gonna die, I would have wanted to go with him.

C: Somebody did that, you know - the wife of Isadore Strauss, Ida Strauss said, 'you know, I've been with you forty years, and where you go, I go.' And she knew she was gonna die, and she got out of the lifeboat, and got back on the ship.

C: So, there's a historical precedence for that moment.

C: Yeah, they're made up.

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