Kate Winslet and James Cameron have shut down speculation that they were involved in a feud after filming Titanic.
Rumours of an alleged dispute reignited when the pair reunited on the set of sci-fi epic sequel Avatar: The Way Of Water, years after Winslet claimed she would not work with the Canadian filmmaker again after starring in his 1997 hit Titanic.
Despite public perception, Cameron told Variety “there was never a rift between us”.
“She had a little postpartum depression when she let go of Rose,” 69-year-old Cameron said.
“She and I have talked about the fact that she goes really, really deep, and her characters leave a lasting, sometimes dramatic impression on her,” he said.
Titanic won a host of Oscars during the 1998 ceremony, including best picture and best director for Cameron.
In the film, Winslet stars as Rose DeWitt Bukater, who is being forced to marry a wealthy man but falls in love with Leonardo Di Caprio’s character Jack Dawson, aboard the Titanic which sunk on its maiden voyage.
“There’s a part of me that feels almost sad that stupid, speculative Titanic stuff at the time overshadowed the actual relationship I have with him,” Winslet said of Cameron.
“He knows I will be up for anything. Any challenge, any piece of direction you give me? I’ll try it.”
Meanwhile, Cameron revealed he had resisted casting Winslet in the role, as at the time she was known as “corset Kate” – having starred in a number of literary adaptations including Sense And Sensibility, Jude and Hamlet.
“It seemed like lazy casting,” he told Variety. “She even sent me a single rose and said, ‘I have to be your Rose’.”
Cameron said “wiser heads prevailed” and he cast Winslet as he could “see what everybody was talking about”.
“She’s very alive. She comes into a room with a great deal of confidence, and she’s got that spark of life,” he said.
Meanwhile, Cameron said he is in the “cutting room” on the next installment of Avatar, in which Winslet will reprise her role as Metkayina matriarch Ronal.
“I work with her performance every day,” he said.
The original 2009 Avatar film became the highest-grossing film of all time and went on to win three Oscars for its visual effects, cinematography and art direction.