DiCaprio’s dialogue, “I’m the king of the world,” as he spreads his arms out in the scene as if flying along the edge of the ship, became one of the film’s most memorable lines. The line was crucial to the characterization of Jack Dawson because it gave a glimpse of who he was as a person, yet the movie’s director, James Cameron, revealed that the line was improvised because it only came to him once the camera was already rolling.
“He doesn’t have a penny in his pocket. He won his damn ticket in a poker game. He’s just living carefree, fancy-free, He met Fabrizio [Danny Nucci] and they’re just having fun. It was an expression of life and his life spirit, which seemed so unquenchable and so full of potential. His acting spirit was there, but we just couldn’t quite find the words, and it just popped into my head,” Cameron explained to The Hollywood Reporter.
You might also like: Kate Winslet Sets New Underwater-Breathing Record in Avatar 2
Cameron first opened up about the origin of the line in 2019 with the BBC’s Movies That Made Me. He narrated: “It was made up on the spot.” I was in a crane basket, and we were losing the light. “I had tried this and we had tried that; we tried this line and that line, and it was just coming up snake eyes.”
He wanted to capture the scene convincingly, so after about 10 takes of DiCaprio trying various ways to convey the moment of pure joy of winning the lottery ticket and boarding on the world’s biggest ship, he said, “All right, I’ve got one for you. Just say, “I’m the king of the world,” and spread your arms wide and be in the moment, loving it, celebrating it, and loving it.
DiCaprio wasn’t initially on board with the line, responding to the director with complete confusion. But Cameron insisted, “I’m getting this over the walkie-talkie.” “I’m the king of the world,” just say, “I’m the king of the world,” but you’ve got to sell it! And he goes, “What?” I said, “Just f**king sell it.”
Titanic won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture and a Best Director win for Cameron. The line is now included in AFI’s top 100 list of the most iconic movie lines. It’s also the phrase Cameron chose to shout out when he won the Best Director Academy Award for the picture at the 70th annual Academy Awards.
Also Read: Kate Winslet Settles Titanic Ending Debate Once and For All: “I Don’t Believe We Would Have Survived”
