Kate Winslet says she flashed Leonardo DiCaprio to 'break the ice' before one of their most iconic scenes

There’s only few things more awkward than getting naked in front of a stranger – particularly when that stranger happens to be Leonardo DiCaprio.

And when you combine that with a room full of cameras and crew, it’s enough to make anyone cringe.

But when filming Titanic, DiCaprio's co-star Kate Winslet decided to break the ice like the total legend she is… by flashing him.

While the pair are now as close as siblings, they were practically strangers on their first day of filming.

And what was it they were shooting that first day? The classic scene where Jack draws Rose like one of his 'French girls', of course.

The characters are well-known to be one of the steamiest couples in cinema... who doesn't remember that car scene?

But with no romantic interest in each other, DiCaprio and Winslet are nothing like Jack and Rose in real life.

In fact, according to Rolling Stone, the pair were a lot more like mischievous school pals and were constantly pranking each other. 

Twentieth Century Fox

“We were kind of the two goofy kids on the set,” said Winslet.

“Y’know, working with Leonardo DiCaprio – he’s a bit gorgeous, and I was worried that I was going to be bowled over by him, or that he was going to find me all stuffy and Shakespearean and English.

"But the second we met, we just completely clicked.”

DiCaprio added: “She was my best friend for seven months. We’d unload the stresses of the shoot to each other, vent to each other, watch out for each other.

"Kate was just the perfect person to work with because she was very much one of the guys, and it would have been much harder without her. We were partners.” 

Winslet said they’d 'do the most ridiculous things to each other', and it appears one of these things was flashing him during that first day – something that took DiCaprio completely by surprise.

Allstar Picture Library Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo

In James Cameron’s Titanic – the official behind the scenes book – it detailed that the first scene the cast ever shot was the nude drawing and you can see the duo’s blossoming friendship come to life.

In the book Winslet says: “I was naked in front of Leo on the first day of shooting.”

And DiCaprio added: “She had no shame with it. She wanted to break the ice a little beforehand, so she flashed me.

"I wasn’t prepared for that, so she had a one up on me. I was pretty comfortable after that.”

Topics: Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, TV and Film

Anna Verdon