Could Jack have fit on the door with Rose in "Titanic"? Director James Cameron conducted a study to find out "once and for all." (2024)

The famed and fictional "Heart of the Ocean" diamond necklace is no match for the one question that remains at the heart of James Cameron's 1997 epic 3.5-hour film: could Jack Dawson have fit on the door with Rose DeWitt Bukater, ultimately saving his life?

The scene in question takes place after the RMS Titanic meets its fate and begins its descent to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Jack and Rose, the fictional ill-fated lovers who met aboard the ship, find themselves swirling through the icy waters, where they manage to find a thick door that had been ripped off its hinges aboard.

Rose went on first, but as Jack attempted, they both fell off, prompting Jack to allow Rose sole custody of the makeshift island. When help finally comes in lifeboats, Rose is alive while Jack has frozen to death.

Could Jack have fit on the door with Rose in "Titanic"? Director James Cameron conducted a study to find out "once and for all." (1)

Ever since that scene's release, the question about whether the door had room for Jack as well has been a source of contention. It's even prompted a dedicated episode of "Mythbusters" on the Discovery Channel, in which they found that if they had tied Rose's lifejacket to the bottom of the door, it could have supported both of them.

But Cameron insisted after that 2012 finding that Jack "has to die." And now, the famed director is weighing in once again – with proof.

"We have done a scientific study to put this whole thing to rest and drive a stake through its heart once and for all," Cameron told Postmedia, according to The Toronto Sun. "We have since done a thorough forensic analysis with a hypothermia expert who reproduced the raft from the movie. ...We took two stunt people who were the same body mass of Kate and Leo and we put sensors all over them and inside them and we put them in ice water and we tested to see whether they could have survived through a variety of methods."

So, what's the answer?

"There was no way they both could have survived," Cameron said. "Only one could survive."

The journey of that study will be revealed in a "little special" set to come out on National Geographic in February, he said, at the same time that "Titanic" is back in theaters to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

And now, two-and-a-half decades later with proof to back him up, Cameron says he has "no" regrets for the movie's outcome.

"He needed to die. It's like Romeo and Juliet," he said. "It's a movie about love and sacrifice and mortality. The love is measured by the sacrifice."

Li Cohen

Could Jack have fit on the door with Rose in "Titanic"? Director James Cameron conducted a study to find out "once and for all." (2)

Li Cohen is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.

Could Jack have fit on the door with Rose in "Titanic"? Director James Cameron conducted a study to find out "once and for all." (2024)

FAQs

Could Jack have fit on the door with Rose in "Titanic"? Director James Cameron conducted a study to find out "once and for all."? ›

While Cameron originally told press that forensic analysis confirmed “only one could survive” on the door raft, he does admit in the special that there's a possible outcome where Jack “might have lived.” The director hired two stunt people with height and weight similar to DiCaprio and Winslet at the time of filming ...

Could Jack have fit on the door with Rose in the Titanic? ›

Yes, he could have fit on that door, but it would not have stayed afloat.

Could Jack have fit on the door in the movie Titanic MythBusters? ›

For fans of MythBusters, however, this is a bit of old news: The gang famously proved that it was plausible both could have fit onto the door and lived happily ever after.

Why couldn't Rose and Jack share the door? ›

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Cameron was asked directly, "Why doesn't Rose make room for Jack on the door?" To which he replied, "And the answer is very simple because it says on page 147 [of the script] that Jack dies. Very simple..." Ouch.

Could Jack have survived with Rose? ›

Jack could have survived, says film-maker James Cameron as 'Titanic' re-releases 25 yrs on. Fans insist Jack could have survived the icy Atlantic waters after the ocean liner sank, if only he had shared an improvised raft with Kate Winslet's Rose.

How could Rose and Jack have fit on the door? ›

It's even prompted a dedicated episode of "Mythbusters" on the Discovery Channel, in which they found that if they had tied Rose's lifejacket to the bottom of the door, it could have supported both of them.

Could two people fit on the door? ›

It's a hotly contested issue among fans, but the answer is actually settled: Jack and Rose could both fit on the Titanic door. The science has spoken, and it has determined once and for all that you were justified in sending James Cameron all of your criticisms about the end of the movie.

Could Jack have fit on the door interview? ›

"I actually don't believe that we would have survived if we had both gotten on that door," Winslet said at the time. “I think that he could have fit, but it would have tipped ... and it would not have been a sustainable idea.

Why can't Jack fit on the door? ›

It doesn't matter if there was physically enough space on the door for Jack, it was a problem of buoyancy, two people on the door is just too heavy to keep the door above the water.

Did Rose actually survive the Titanic? ›

Rose Dewitt Bukater became one of only six passengers rescued from the water following the sinking of the Titanic, and the survivors were later rescued by the RMS Carpathia. Once on board the Carpathia, Rose hid among the steerage passengers to avoid Cal, who she saw walking around looking for her.

Could Jack and Rose both fit on the wood? ›

Was there space for Jack on the wooden door in Titanic? Yes, but only under one condition. The Mythbusters tried and proved Jack and Rose could have both survive if Rose knows a lot on Physics (which she doesn't).

Why didn't Rose save Jack in Titanic? ›

Jack didn't really have a family. Rose at this point is alone and broke and had to rebuild her whole life - do you think she'd have money? Add to that she doesn't even know if she's going to get rescued to begin with.

Did Rose really meet Jack? ›

It's Jack and Rose's movie, but a lot of the people they meet had their own incredible stories. You probably already knew that Jack and Rose, the main characters in the 1997 movie Titanic, weren't real. Like all films “based on a true story,” the movie added its own fictional elements to historical events.

Did Rose marry after Jack died? ›

Rose changed her last name to "Dawson" to honor Jack's memory after the sinking of the Titanic. Rose completely started over and never contacted her mother and Cal again after the sinking. Rose became a successful actress in the 1920s and eventually married a man named Calvert.

What was Jack's last words to Rose? ›

promise me you will survive....that you will never give up...not matter what happens... no matter how hopeless... promise me now, and never let go of that promise. ROSE: I promise.

Was Jack's body ever found in the Titanic? ›

Rose would visit his grave from time to time.

Could Jack fit on the piece of wood? ›

Was there space for Jack on the wooden door in Titanic? Yes, but only under one condition. The Mythbusters tried and proved Jack and Rose could have both survive if Rose knows a lot on Physics (which she doesn't).

How big was the door in Titanic? ›

Cameron regularly visited the Maritime Museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia while preparing for the film and the prop door resembles an old Louis XV-style panel exhibited at the museum. The prop is 8 feet long and 41 inches wide and is broken, as it was in the film.

Were Jack and Rose a real couple on the Titanic? ›

The Titanic real story did not include the exact characters of Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt but there was some truth behind the characters. They were inspired, to an extent, by some real-life people, though Rose's inspiration has no connection to the actual Titanic.

Did Rose have a stunt double in Titanic? ›

A superfan shared the clip to TikTok, under their account name Titanic, pointing out that the face of Winslet's stunt double, named Sarah Franzl, is clearly visible. Begin your day with a curated outlook of top news around the world and why it matters.

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