Claire Danes Reveals Why She Turned Down Lead Role in ‘Titanic’: ‘I Just Didn’t Have It in Me’

As Claire Danes looked back on her Hollywood career, she couldn’t help but wonder what would’ve happened had she taken the lead role of Rose in Titanic. Although the actress has “zero” regrets over the possible casting opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, she revealed why she ultimately turned down the role.

“I think I did. I’m not entirely clear on that,” Claire, 40, said when asked if she got offered the part during a recent appearance on Dax Shepard‘s Armchair Expert podcast. “There was strong interest, but honestly, I’d just made this romantic epic with Leo in Mexico City, which is where they were going to shoot Titanic, and I just didn’t have it in me.”

The Homeland actress candidly confessed she just wasn’t ready for Hollywood fame and superstardom. “I was just really clear about it,” Claire explained. “I wasn’t conflicted, I wasn’t.”

After she and Leo, 45, had shot Romeo and Juliet in 1996, Claire said she wanted to take her career in a new direction. “I was just feeling eager to have different creative experiences, that felt like a repeat,” she shared with the host. “And, as I said, I think it was gonna propel me towards something that I knew I didn’t have the resources to cope with. And I knew I had to do a lot of foundation building.”

The Golden Globe winner dished that the Revenant actor, who ended up playing the beloved role of Jack Dawson opposite actress Kate Winslet — also questioned whether he should take the role.

“I remember, Leo and I shared a manager at the time, and we were there at the office. And I was on a balcony, which is funny…and Leo had this rental red convertible…and he was kinda going in circles in the parking lot,” she shared. “And I knew he was wrestling with the decision to do that movie or not and he just looked up at me, and he said, ‘I’m doing it. I’m doing it.'”

“And I could see he wasn’t sure, but he was like, ‘F–k it, I gotta do this thing,'” Claire continued. “And I looked down on him going, ‘I totally understand why you are doing it. And I’m not ready for that.’ And I think I really wasn’t ready for it.”

Although the Stardust actress — who is the proud mom of son Cyrus, 7, with husband Hugh Dancy — doesn’t regret her decision, we can’t help but wonder what Titanic would’ve been like had she taken the role over Kate!