At this point, Leonardo DiCaprio is probably sick of Titanic jokes, especially from his friend Brad Pitt. But he probably wasn’t thinking about the punchline when he helped rescue a drowning man in the Caribbean.
On December 30, the actor was aboard his yacht with some friends off the coast of St. Martin. When his crew heard a mayday call, they sprung into action. They eventually located the French crewman of a Club Med yacht, who had apparently fallen overboard while drunk. They then pulled the man out of the water and onto the safety of Leonardo DiCaprio’s boat. Though it’s not clear whether or not the actor played a direct role in rescuing the man, The Sun reports that he was there to witness the dramatic event. And the fact that he allowed his holiday to be put on hold to save his life is admirable. And all told, it makes for a pretty heroic tale.
But, of course, it’s impossible to hear a story like that and not immediately start drawing a connection to one of the actor’s most iconic roles. Since Titanic hit theaters in 1997, there’s been an ongoing debate about whether or not his character Jack could have feasibly made it onto the same floating door that kept Rose DeWitt alive. (He totally could have.) Scientists and pop culture junkies worldwide have weighed in -- as has his Titanic co-star and long-time friend Kate Winslet. Leonardo DiCaprio has been a good sport about it -- which his Once Upon a Time in Hollywood co-star Brad Pitt has fully taken advantage of recently.
During the press tour for their Quentin Tarantino film, MTV News asked the actors whether Jack’s controversial demise could have been prevented. While Leo simply offered a neutral “no comment,” their co-star Margot Robbie was certain that he would have been able to survive. And Brad Pitt’s interest seemed genuinely piqued by the whole conversation. He told MTV News he would have to go back and re-watch Titanic before weighing in.
And maybe he actually did? When Brad Pitt accepted the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor last weekend, he took time out to thank Leonardo DiCaprio for being “a gent” of a co-star, before telling the audience, “I would have shared the raft.” His co-star seemed genuinely amused, which is a testament to both their camaraderie and his patience. It’s even funnier when you consider the fact that he was apparently up for Leonardo DiCaprio’s Titanic role.
If Brad Pitt’s new-found fascination with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Titanic fate is any indication, we can only imagine his reaction to learning that the actor played a role in a real-life oceanic rescue. We’ll have to see if he has any other jokes up his sleeve as award season continues on.
