The first time James Cameron and Kate Winslet worked together they made what at the time became the highest grossing movie of all-time, until it was dethroned by Avatar. By all accounts the production of Titanic was a lot of hard work, and Winslet famously said, "You'd have to pay me a lot of money to work with Jim again.' While we don’t know how much she was paid to be in Avatar: The Way of Water, the actress says a lot has changed since those words.
From all reports the Titanic production was brutal. Kate Winslet spoke at the time about the physical toll the movie took on her, as well as the emotional toll, as James Cameron reportedly did his share of yelling at people on set. At the time the actress made it clear that she had little interest in working with Cameron again, but she tells EW that they have both changed a great deal in the last couple decades. The actress said…
You couldn't compare the two. The two films are so different. Literally, the only common thread is there's water in both of them, but water that is there for different reasons, behaves in totally different ways. These experiences were so far apart. I turned 21 on that shoot. I am now 47 years old. It's a very, very, very long time ago. Jim, as a director, as a person, you know, we are just both different, older, have hopefully learned a lot more in terms of how to tell stories and be creative contributors and collaborators.
Certainly over time we all change, and that goes for both Kate Winslet and James Cameron. Whatever rough experiences they had aren’t going to feel as bad as time goes on. One also gets the district impression that James Cameron has mellowed out over the years, Winslet, perhaps referencing her feelings during Titanic has specifically said that Cameron is a calmer person now.
The fact that it’s been more than 20 years since James Cameron and Kate Winslet made a movie together apparently doesn’t have anything to do with any desire from either party not to work together. The actress says the two have been in touch on a regular basis and Cameron has frequently at least considered Winslet for other projects. Those other ideas just didn’t work out for whatever reason, but this one did. The actress continues…
I feel like he's always checked in with me. 'Are you busy right now?' or 'What's going on? I may have something.’ Then I wouldn't hear for a while, and I think he's drifted off that idea. Then he'd be floating back in with another one. And then in 2014, he did say to me, 'I'm gonna get you big and blue.
James Cameron did indeed get Kate Winslet big and blue. In Avatar: The Way of Water she plays Ronal, the wife of the leader of the Pandora reef tribe. We’re sure to see her again in a couple years when Avatar 3 comes along.
