Titanic: Guess which SUPERSTAR auditioned for Jack and lost to Leonardo DiCaprio?

But one particularly famous A-lister has confirmed that he tried out for the male lead, even auditioning alongside Kate Winslet.

Ultimately, he of course lost to Kate Winslet – who went on to form an enduring friendship with DiCaprio as they became central to one of the most iconic movies ever.

It’s Matthew McConaughey who was left disappointed, as he revealed in a new interview.

“I went and auditioned for that. I wanted that,” he told The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast.

“I auditioned with Kate Winslet. Had a good audition. Walked away from there pretty confident that I had it.

“I didn’t get it. I never got offered that.”

In the same podcast, he also spoke highly of his much-maligned work in romantic comedies; before the so-called McConaissance that saw him switch to more acclaimed movies and even an Oscar win for Dallas Buyers Club.

“It was fun, it was great pay and I learned that, you know what, these are not the type of movies to dig deep [on],” he said, referencing movies like Failure To Launch and How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days.

“They were ‘Saturday characters’. I remember saying, ‘I’m gonna give myself another Saturday!’

“They were fun. The pay was great. I was looking forward to them. I enjoyed going to work.

“I was also living on a beach and going out without my shirt on, just like I did before I was famous. I was living a romantic comedy.”

Others thought to be considered to play Jack include the likes of Chris O’Donnell, Billy Crudup, Christian Bale, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and Stephen Dorff.

Tom Cruise was also allegedly interested, but his salary demands were too high for bosses – who clearly didn’t know Titanic would go on to become one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.

As for Winslet’s part, Gwyneth Paltrow, Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Gabrielle Anwar, and Reese Witherspoon had been considered.

Winslet’s sheer determination is thought to be what got her an audition in front of Cameron.

McConaughey was also reportedly touted for the role of Cal Hockley, the part ultimately played by Billy Zane.