On the Boat (2)
July 31, 1996. Filming for Titanic, which had been in preparation for a long time, finally began. To transport the audience back to 1912, each sequence had been meticulously structured under James's strict direction. It was planned so thoroughly that even minor unexpected situations could be easily controlled. As the production crew dove into the shoot, they began overcoming the various technical issues that inevitably cropped up despite their extensive preparations.
The life-sized Titanic set. The summer weather in Mexico was muggy and humid. Before the cameras rolled, Leonardo DiCaprio, playing the lower-class Jack, and Kate Winslet, playing the upper-class Rose, chatted amiably. The eyes of many crew members watching them were naturally drawn to Leonardo's innocent, bright face.
On the ship's deck, dozens of first-class extras were dressed in all kinds of lavish attire, but Leonardo stood out by far. Any woman would surely be captivated by his breathtaking beauty, instantly wishing to run away with him in search of freedom. Indeed, what Jack symbolized was "freedom"—the freedom to go anywhere and do anything.
Soon, the cameras started rolling.
"You are very rude!"
On the other hand, Rose was a woman "trapped in a gilded cage." A victim of an arranged marriage. A woman destined to cross the Atlantic and have a grand wedding watched by over five million people. She flared up in anger at Jack, who dismissed her problems as trivial, but soon sat down, marveling at his drawings.
"They're... quite good."
Jack sat before her, smiling easily.
Now that's a man.
Wow...
He's gorgeous. The kind of guy who can set a caged bird free.
The female staff on set couldn't help but marvel. And Kate Winslet, acting alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, shared the sentiment.
He really is incredibly handsome.
His distinct coral-colored eyes made every woman's heart flutter. He was dashing when serious, and when he smiled warmly, he looked like a man who could take you to the ends of the earth. Though poor, he possessed vast dreams, and upon encountering those dreams, the caged bird couldn't help but yearn for freedom.
"Cut!"
The director's shout brought the take to an end.
"Phew."
"Great job, Leo."
"My pleasure. Felt pretty good, didn't it?"
Watching him smile so effortlessly, Kate Winslet thought to herself that if she didn't keep her wits about her, she might actually fall for his devilish charm.
Leonardo DiCaprio was undoubtedly exceptional, both as an actor and as a man. On set, he carried himself as if he truly were the "king of the world." Given his young age and this being his first time leading such a massive production, it would have been natural for him to feel nervous or shaken, but he showed no such signs. He playfully joked with the crew whenever he had a spare moment, and even with nearly a hundred people watching, the second the camera started rolling, he locked in and dominated the screen.
He was indeed a rising young star worthy of a leading role. Everyone was swept up by his free-spirited nature, and even James Cameron eventually found himself thinking, It's different from what I envisioned, but not bad. Although Cameron was a notorious perfectionist who ruled his sets with an iron fist, he wasn't entirely inflexible. Leonardo's ability to act freely within the established boundaries brightened the atmosphere on set while quietly fostering a sense of anticipation among the crew. An anticipation that said, Maybe we'll actually make our budget back.
A week passed in this manner.
"Today is Sion Lee's first shoot, right?"
James, who was the first to arrive, asked. The assistant director checked the call sheet and nodded.
"Yes. It's the scene where they board the Titanic. Today is mostly scenes from the beginning of the movie."
"Phew, just controlling the extras is going to be a headache," James sighed, looking out at the crowd gathering outside the production office.
The massive crowd scene right before the Titanic's departure. Though filmed a week into production, it was practically the true opening of the film. Citizens gathering to catch a glimpse of the "Ship of Dreams" setting sail. The throngs of people rushing to board, and those trying to control them. Amidst the clamor and the loading of expensive cars as cargo, a subtle contrast was drawn between the first-class passengers and those boarding second and third class.
Titanic was a film that asked what we must truly choose when the wealth and class structures constructed by humanity crumble helplessly in the face of a natural disaster. It beautifully conveyed this message through freedom, love, choices made of one's own free will, and a love that transcended the class divide between Jack and Rose. Therefore, the character symbolizing "class" was a crucial pillar of the film.
Countless people waved their hands in front of the largest vessel ever built by human civilization, and then a luxurious motorcar pulled up among them. From it stepped a woman dressed in an exquisite gown, her expression utterly indifferent compared to the excitement around her. Right behind her stepped out a man. His tall stature and solid build lent an imposing weight to his tailored suit. A cold gaze and a slightly twisted smile swept over the bustling crowd. He had merely stepped out of a car. Yet, that alone seemed to cast a chilling hush over the scene in front of the Titanic. Much like the future of the ship itself.
Caledon Hockley. The eldest son of the largest steel company in 1910s America. In other words, a second-generation tycoon and heir. To wash away the stigma of being "new money," he had betrothed himself to Rose, who came from an aristocratic family. On paper, he seemed like a conventional villain who cared more about social standing and family name than love or the woman herself. However, Sion dug deeper into his interpretation of the character, refusing to let him remain a flat caricature.
Rose turned to look at Cal as he stepped out of the car.
"I don't see what all the fuss is about. It doesn't look any bigger than the Mauretania."
What James Cameron demanded from Sion in this scene was "bravado" and "arrogance." Sion layered that with his own psychoanalytical interpretation.
"Does it frighten you? The sheer scale of this ship?"
"...I don't know what you mean."
"Of course you don't. You are a woman, after all. It is only natural to be overwhelmed by such grandeur and scale."
His eyes remained cold. His tone carried a subtle, patronizing condescension. Rose furrowed her brow in displeasure and turned away.
Later, she would describe the ship like this:
The warm Mexican filming environment. The sun beat down, and countless extras smiled, looking up at the Titanic in awe. But Rose's face was frozen like a doll's as she boarded the ship, arm-in-arm with Cal. And Cal, walking beside her, smiled with the smug satisfaction of a control freak.
A woman who had lost her freedom like a bird in a cage, her festering emotions leaving her unable to even scream. And the one holding her leash was a cold-blooded man built on immense wealth. The stark contrast between them seemed to heavily weigh down the atmosphere surrounding the two actors.
...Holy crap.
Wow...
He is a real, genuine bastard...
How can he act like that so naturally...?
In front of the camera, Caledon did not hesitate to treat Rose roughly. He would suddenly grab her as she turned to walk away, staring her down intensely before letting her go, and dragged her along with a firm grip during the boarding scene. Though taken aback by his overbearing and relentless demeanor, everyone couldn't help but think:
Maybe he's the real man here?
He's a psychopath... but I feel like no one could ever say no to a man like that.
It was a performance laced with a touch of sadism, yet it stayed perfectly within the bounds of the film's narrative. He embodied wealth and class—values that humanity dreads yet desperately craves. Seeing Sion's interpretation of the character, James Cameron grinned.
"Cut!"
As soon as the take ended, Sion looked at Kate Winslet beside him and said, "You're too emotionally detached right now."
"...Excuse me?"
"Why don't you show a bit more? You're being sold off, after all."
With that, he turned and walked away as if it were nothing. Kate, whose face had flushed red, was left utterly dumbfounded. He was so different from Leonardo, so different from Jack.
What is wrong with that guy?
But just in case, she asked the cinematographer to let her review her footage, and she realized he was absolutely right. In her effort to ignore her surroundings, she had overcompensated by suppressing her emotions too much. ...Moreover, unlike when she acted with Leonardo, she had been momentarily swallowed up by Sion's performance, which suppressed her with cold, insolent dominance. Noticing her lost in thought, Leonardo approached and spoke to her warmly.
"What's wrong, Kate?"
"...I was just thinking about the scene we just shot."
"Really? You're doing great."
"I watched the monitor, and I don't think I can just leave it at that."
Her eyes drifted toward Sion, who was laughing and talking with the director. His straight posture and slightly defined traps made it clear that he maintained rigorous physical discipline. Watching him, Kate thought he was an incredibly obnoxious person, yet a sudden question bloomed in her mind:
Why did Rose choose Jack?
The yearning for freedom... Sure, that sounded nice. But conversely, humans also harbor a desire to submit to control. The "desire for stability" is just as deeply rooted an instinct in humans as the "will to freedom." A life with Cal was controlled but secure. A life with Jack was free but perilous. Yet Rose chose Jack without a second thought and fell deeply for him. Why? Why did Rose yearn so desperately for freedom? Was it possible she simply didn't know the pitfalls of absolute freedom? Kate plunged deep into the thoughts blossoming within her.
Jack, Rose, and Cal. Originally, this love triangle was meant to be quite simple. Rose, yearning for freedom, chooses Jack, and Cal, unable to tolerate it, gets in their way. However, as Sion Lee's portrayal of Cal transcended a flat, one-dimensional villain, the directorial focus of each scene began to subtly shift.
An indoor shoot late at night. Inside a first-class suite, with the ocean breeze howling outside. Director James Cameron had given Sion free rein, telling him, "Use as much film as you want, just do your thing," allowing Sion to act as freely as he pleased. As a few key crew members watched Rose sitting in front of her vanity, Cal entered the room.
"I know you've been melancholy."
In the original script, this line was followed by, "I don't know what's vexing you," contrasting Cal's inability to understand Rose's heart with Jack's empathy. However, Sion delivered a slightly different—and therefore entirely different—line.
"Though I care very little as to why."
"...!"
Rose glared at him, bristling. But under Cal's cold gaze, she quickly averted her eyes again. In the scene right before this, she had attempted suicide, only to be saved by Jack. She felt utter revulsion toward Cal, who not only failed to understand the suffocating despair that drove her to such extremes but was also the very source of it. Yet Sion believed that "Cal" could only act this way. That was how he had been raised.
"I may not be a man of delicate words. But I can tell you this: if you open your heart to me... there is nothing I would deny you."
With those words, he presented a massive 56-carat blue diamond necklace.
"The Heart of the Ocean."
"My God..."
Rose was momentarily captivated by its mesmerizing brilliance. Watching her with eyes that remained cold, Cal draped it around her neck.
"It is my heart. So, give yours to me."
"...It is certainly cold and blue enough to match the color of your heart."
"As is the fact that it is made of diamond, and that it can give you whatever you desire."
"Do you believe you can buy everything with money?"
"Hardly. But money is certainly the easiest medium of exchange."
"..."
"The clothes you wear, the food you eat, this very room. Everything is money. And I was raised learning nothing but money. You, too, have nothing to your name except that petty aristocratic title, do you not?"
"That's not true...!"
"Nothing you possess is of your own making. Even your artistic sensibilities—you wouldn't have them if you had been born into the gutter. We are not free. But that is what makes us who we are. Accept it. Stop throwing tantrums. Princess."
His acting was beyond reproach, and everyone was left in awe of the interpretation and detail woven into his performance.
Insane.
He's not wrong, though...
The fact that Sion is the one delivering those lines... makes it all the more persuasive.
The film spoke of how meaningless the human constructs of wealth and class became in the face of a disaster like the sinking of a massive ship carrying over a thousand souls. Yet Cal, the very symbol of that wealth and class, was a character who argued that those very values—forged through humanity's history of struggle and absurdity—were what held meaning.
That devilish figure presented an object that materialized wealth and class. And Rose, for a split second, was captivated by the 56-carat diamond necklace. That very moment proved Cal's logic. She yearned for freedom, but paradoxically, she only yearned for it because she was safely ensconced within her cage.
Rose suddenly stood up, her face flushing red. ...No, that wasn't "Rose." It was "Kate," who had momentarily lost her cue under the sheer weight of Sion Lee's dense acting and reacted out of sudden panic. As Cal took a step back, giving her free rein while looking down at her with arrogant, handsome eyes, Kate bit her lip and tried to slap him across the face as the script dictated. But "Sion" caught her hand mid-air.
"Ugh...?!"
"A gesture fit only for the uneducated."
It was a line delivered through the mask of Cal, but directed at "Kate." A playful banter between actors while the camera was still rolling, acknowledging that she had missed her timing. Grinning at the flustered Kate as she snapped back to reality, Sion effortlessly lifted her slender frame and sat her down on the vanity. Every woman watching the scene gasped, their hearts skipping a beat.
A cold man who looked down on women, yet honestly admitted he knew nothing but money, offering a 56-carat diamond necklace as his very heart. A man whose decadent masculinity made him just as breathtakingly handsome as the beautiful youth Leonardo DiCaprio. He lifted the Heart of the Ocean hanging from Kate's neck, kissed it, and smirked. ...And just like that, he slipped seamlessly from Cal back into Sion.
"Ah, I rather wanted to behave like an uneducated man myself."
Facing his playful, mischievous face, Kate Winslet couldn't help but burst into laughter. But beneath that necklace, her heart was beating more violently than ever before.