What started as a rumor that Paul Rudd convinced or coached Leonardo DiCaprio to star in “Titanic” has spiraled even further into the belief that Rudd himself was actually in the mix to play Leo’s lead role.
Rudd dispelled that rumor and downplayed the idea that he had anything to do with DiCaprio starring in James Cameron’s blockbuster in a new podcast interview with The Ringer.
“No, no that’s not true. I was never in the running. I just had a real interest in it because my father was a Titanic expert,” Rudd said on “10 Questions With With Kyle Brandt.” “That was how he made his living. Talking about the Titanic. So when they announced they were making this film I really wanted to get in on it for my dad. But no we were not in the running.”
Rudd has addressed this rumor before, explaining to Graham Norton that both he and DiCaprio were filming “Romeo + Juliet” when DiCaprio told him he’d been offered the part for “Titanic” and was unsure about doing a big studio movie. Rudd elaborated on that story in the new podcast.
“And then there was a moment in time where it was my last day of shooting where we were all going out and I was in a car with him. And there was a story that came out that said I was the one who talked him into doing the movie. That’s not true at all,” Rudd said. “But he had been offered the movie and we were talking about it in the car and I said ‘That would be amazing! How cool!’ And so it was one of those moments where I look back and think wow this is a real Forrest Gump kind of moment. How did I wind up in this spot? And you kind of look back and think that was an interesting thing. I was in a car with Leo talking about Titanic but they hadn’t shot it yet. And he hadn’t even signed on to do it yet.”
Probably the crazier “Titanic” rumor is that Matthew McConaughey was offered the lead role in “Titanic” but then turned it down, another story that has spun out of control despite the number of times both Cameron and McConaughey have been asked about it. Cameron set the record straight about that story last year.
Elsewhere in the interview, Rudd talked about his favorite quote from “Anchorman” being Will Ferrell saying “Milk was a bad choice” and explained how his line “Slapping the bass” from “I Love You, Man” has made him the scourge of bass players for years.
Check out the full interview via The Ringer.