Frances Fisher Talks About Strange 'Titanic' Audition For James Cameron

TV & Film

Mar 26

Frances Fisher played Ruth DeWitt Bukater in James Cameron’s Titanic, and she still remembers every detail of her audition for the film. Fisher would go on to bag the role of Kate Winslet’s ambitious, class-conscious mother in the film and give one of her most memorable performances. During the audition process, Fisher recalls animatedly showing James Cameron how she would film the scene of Ruth Bukater on a lifeboat, as she pleads with her daughter to join her. She recalls telling 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?' He goes, 'That's a great idea. Let's do it.' So everybody gets up on the conference room table."

Cameron thought her audition was so amusing that she got the job, and he filmed the lifeboat scene on his film camera. Fisher admits she didn’t want the role during her audition, but it helped her connect to the character by stepping into Ruth’s shoes. She admits, “I just felt so connected to the character and so happy to do material that was good.” Fisher and Kate Winslet eventually shot a scene in which Ruth pleaded with Rose to join her in the lifeboat, but it required several different takes to get it right. Fisher and the entire cast of Titanic was nominated for Outstanding Cast at the SAG awards in 1998. Titanic went on to become a blockbuster and swept the awards season that year.

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