#5: Matthew McConaughey — Jack Dawson
Matthew McConaughey walked out of his audition for Jack Dawson in Titanic (1997) feeling confident he had landed the part. He had a great screen test with Kate Winslet, and the studio even championed him for the role. However, director James Cameron had his heart set on a younger actor, Leonardo DiCaprio. Cameron insisted that DiCaprio was the right fit for the tragic artist. In the end, the director’s vision won, and McConaughey was left on the shore while Cameron’s ship sailed on to become a global phenomenon.
