James Cameron Reveals 'Titanic' Casting Had A Serious Height Limit

James Cameron had a unique way to make sure the set of "Titanic" looked as large as possible:

Don't put tall people in the movie.

"Titanic" is considered one of the greatest movies ever made, and in large part, it's viewed that way because of the incredible size and scope of the film.

It feels very real, large, daunting and terrifying following the iceberg being struck. Turns out Cameron had a pretty simple trick to make sure the set of the ship looked as big as possible. He didn't cast extras taller than 5'8" in the legendary movie.

James Cameron cast a lot of short people in "Titanic."

"We only cast short extras so it made our set look bigger. Anybody above five foot eight, we didn’t cast them. It’s like we got an extra million dollars of value out of casting," the film's director told the Los Angeles Times earlier in the month to promote the film coming out on 4K.

That's right, gentlemen. "Titanic" was a movie for short kings. Not us tall people blessed with height privilege. For once, short people got a win.

For the record, this only applied to people not in leading roles. A quick Google search tells me DiCaprio is right around six feet tall. However, loading the place with short extras would make the film's lead and the ship both look better.

Honestly, is this height discrimination? I think it is, and maybe we shouldn't stand for it. As someone taller than 5'8", I must admit that I don't like being left out just because my genetics didn't keep me short.

Would a film with no short people be allowed? Of course not. Short privilege apparently gets you a role in one of the most famous movies ever made while tall people have to watch at home.

Obviously, I'm (mostly) kidding, but using height to manipulate films and TV shows is a trick as old as the industry itself. There's a reason why certain doorways in films with short actors are constructed to be way smaller than a regular doorway. It's so when they film the person coming through, they look regular size. Then, they'll swap the frame for people who are taller to make it all appear the same. That's one of many tricks.

Cameron just made it simpler. He just didn't cast tall people at all, and solved the problem all at once.

Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio both starred in "Titanic." (Photo by 20th Century-Fox/Getty Images)

Finally, I've seen "Titanic" probably four or five times in my life. A very solid movie, especially once disaster strikes, but let's not treat Rose like a hero. She was more than willing to let Jack die and then pretend like there was nothing she could have done. How about slide over and make some room for him? She literally had sex with him and just watched him die hours later. A high value and loyal woman? I think not!