Matthew McConaughey has dismissed long-standing rumors that his Southern accent cost him the lead role in "Titanic."
Speaking on The Bright Side Podcast, hosted by Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine, the actor said claims that director James Cameron rejected him over his accent were false.
"That's rumor," McConaughey said. "There was never any discussion about an accent or anything."
The 55-year-old confirmed he auditioned to play Jack Dawson opposite Kate Winslet, but was not offered the role.
"I just didn't get the job," he said.
His comments come as new attention turns to the story after excerpts from an upcoming memoir by late "Titanic" co-producer Jon Landau surfaced earlier this year.
According to People, Landau wrote that McConaughey's Southern drawl influenced Cameron's casting decision.
Landau recalled that Cameron asked the actor to try a different accent, but McConaughey declined, allegedly responding, "No. That was pretty good. Thanks."
Landau wrote, "Let's just say, that was it for McConaughey."
McConaughey has previously described his "Titanic" audition as one of his better ones.
Speaking on Rob Lowe's "Literally!" podcast in 2021, he said he felt confident afterward but later learned the role had gone to Leonardo DiCaprio.
On "The Bright Side Podcast," he doubled down on that confidence.
"I felt pretty confident that maybe I'd landed it. But I didn't," he said.
McConaughey added that after rumors circulated claiming he had turned the role down, he contacted Cameron directly to confirm the truth.
"We got that cleared up," McConaughey said. "I was also like, 'If I did, I need to call my agent 'cause they owe me a lot! Did they turn it down for me?'"
Asked whether he was disappointed, McConaughey said he wanted the role but accepted the outcome.
"I wanted it, but, I mean, there's plenty of jobs out there that I wanted to get that I didn't get," he said.
McConaughey, who later appeared alongside DiCaprio in "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013), previously reflected on his career shift away from romantic comedies.
Last month, he told The Guardian the success of early 2000s films left him unfulfilled, prompting him to step back from acting.
"I was good at something I wasn't loving," he said. "I want to see if my work can be an experience for me that is so vital and alive that it challenges the vitality I'm having in my own life."
Following "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," McConaughey declined roles for nearly two years.
With support from his wife, Camila Alves, he waited until he began receiving offers for more dramatic projects, marking the start of his later resurgence.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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