Claire Danes Turned Down A '90s Hit That Swept The Oscars

From her feature film debut in Gillian Armstrong's 1994 adaptation of "Little Women" through the mid-2000s, Claire Danes was one of Hollywood's more visible "It" girls, appearing as the lead or the co-lead in about two dozen high-profile studio movies. In just a few years, Danes went from obscurity to the A-list. She made a habit of working with known filmmakers or associating with well-known properties. She was in Baz Luhrman's "Romeo + Juliet," Oliver Stone's "U-Turn," and Francis Ford Coppola's "The Rainmaker," as well as a film adaptation of "Les Misérables" and an update of "The Mod Squad." One cannot underestimate her ubiquity throughout the 1990s.

She might've been even more visible, too, had Danes accepted an offer to play Rose DeWitt Bukater in James Cameron's "Titanic."

In "Romeo + Juliet," Danes played Juliet opposite Leonardo DiCaprio's Romeo. The film is a high-octane, ultra-modern version of William Shakespeare's play set in a parallel universe version of Venice, California. Danes was seen as one of the most desirable romantic leads in Hollywood after that, and it seemed like a no-brainer to cast her against DiCaprio again for "Titanic." Why not just do the star-crossed lovers shtick a second time?

As we now know, "Titanic" would go on to be the highest-grossing film of all time, remaining number one at the box office from its release in December 1997 all the way until the following April. It would also be nominated for 14 Academy Awards, winning 11 of them, including Best Picture. I don't think I need to remind you, dear reader, about the enormity of "Titanic."

Back in 2020, Danes appeared on Dax Shepard's podcast "Armchair Expert" and admitted that she had been approached to play Rose in the late '90s (via Elle Magazine). She turned down the role because, quite simply, it seemed too exhausting.

The role of Rose, of course, ultimately went to Kate Winslet, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance. Danes would have taken the role, but she had just gotten back from Mexico (where she had filmed "Romeo + Juliet") when the offer came her way. "Titanic" would have then required her to go back to Mexico for a much longer, more intense shoot. Danes, who was only 17 at the time, didn't want to take on such a large project so soon. As she explained to Shepard:

"I think I did [get offered the role]. I'm not entirely clear on that. [...] Honestly I had just made this romantic epic with Leo [DiCaprio] in Mexico City, which is where they were going to shoot 'Titanic' and I just didn't have it in me."

Danes also recalled that she and DiCaprio were still in contact after "Romeo + Juliet" and that he, too, felt a little trepidation about accepting the job. Cameron was a well-established director, but "Titanic" was seen as an expensive risk at the time. Danes didn't give DiCaprio any advice, although she did recall him eventually coming to the conclusion to take the "Titanic" gig, even if he kind of had to talk himself into it. Danes continued:

"I knew he was wrestling with the decision to do that movie or not, and he looked up at me and said, 'I'm doing it.' I could see he wasn't sure, but he was like 'F*** it, I've got to do this thing.' I looked at him like I totally understand why he wanted to do that, but I'm not ready for that. I remember after the movie came out, and he just went into another stratosphere [...] It was a little scary. I just couldn't do it, I didn't want it."

Danes continued to enjoy a healthy career after that, winning an Emmy for her turn in "Temple Grandin" and then two more for her acting in the long-running series "Homeland." Danes, it seems, merely didn't want to book a trip on the "Titanic" (nor did she need to).