James Cameron says he has conclusively debunked the theory that Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio could both have fit on a piece of floating debris at the end of 1997’s Titanic.
In a new clip from the upcoming documentary Titanic: 25 Years Later, the 68-year-old filmmaker said he conducted a “scientific study” and hired professionals to re-enact the scene.
The experiment proved that both Rose (Winslet) and Jack (DiCaprio) couldn’t have survived on the floating debris.
Fans have spent decades trying to prove to Cameron that there was plenty of space on the floating door for both Rose and Jack to survive, with one couple even reenacting the scene to demonstrate the various positions the characters could have assumed.
Cameron has responded to the theories before, explaining in 2012 that it wasn’t a “question of room, but a question of buoyancy”.
“When Jack puts Rose on the raft, he tries to get on the raft – he’s not an idiot, he doesn’t want to die – and the raft sinks; it kind of flips,” he said.
“It’s clear that there’s really only enough buoyancy available for one person, so he makes the decision to let her be that person.”
In a 2016 interview, Winslet acknowledged that Rose could have saved Jack’s life in Titanic, but instead allowed him to freeze to death while she selfishly hogged that door.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the actor told the host: I think [Jack] could have actually fit on that bit of door.”
