Leonardo DiCaprio Nearly Passed On Life-Changing 'Titanic' Role

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Leonardo DiCaprio needed some serious convincing to take the role that changed his life.

DiCaprio had acted with some reasonable success before "Titanic" premiered in 1997, and the James Cameron directed film forever changed his life.

He went from being a young actor with a lot of potential to being a household name and eventually the biggest star in the game.

However, he needed some serious urging from James Cameron in order to take the role of Jack.

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"Titanic" was Leonardo DiCaprio's first mega-hit. (Photo by 20th Century-Fox/Getty Images)

Leonardo DiCaprio didn't initially jump at his "Titanic" role.

"He didn't want to do a leading man. I had to really twist his arm to be in the movie. He didn't want to do it. He thought it was boring," Cameron explained to PEOPLE at the Golden Globes.

What changed DiCaprio's mind? The star director had to convince the rising star the role of Jack "was actually a difficult challenge."

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

Given the insane success of "Titanic," Cameron isn't surprised at all that Leonardo DiCaprio has continued to make great career choices.

"It didn't surprise me, first of all, that he's made a lot of authentic choices going forward. And secondly, I never doubted his talent," the iconic film director further added to PEOPLE.

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Leonardo DiCaprio had to be convinced to star in "Titanic." (Photo by HAL GARB/AFP via Getty Images)

Obviously, it all worked out for the best. DiCaprio went from being a young guy with good prospects to being a superstar. Since "Titanic," he's appeared in a laundry list of hits, including "The Wolf of Wall Street," "The Departed," "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," "Gatsby," Django Unchanged," "Inception" and "The Revenant."

None of that likely happens without "Titanic" catapulted his career.

Next time James Cameron pitches DiCaprio a role, he should just immediately say yes. Clearly, it worked out for him well in the past.

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David Hookstead is a reporter for OutKick covering a variety of topics with a focus on football and culture. He also hosts of the podcast American Joyride that is accessible on Outkick where he interviews American heroes and outlines their unique stories. Before joining OutKick, Hookstead worked for the Daily Caller for seven years covering similar topics. Hookstead is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.