Cameron’s Titanic rises from depths

WHEN “Titanic” hit the screen in 1997, Leonardo DiCaprio became the hottest young actor around, carrying the $250 million production — the most expensive ever made until that point — on his slim shoulders. He was only 22-years-old, a star of edgy art films like The Basketball Diaries and Total Eclipse.

Director Cameron admits it took some persuading to have the actor take on Titanic, recalling, “Leo liked to play tortured souls and wasn’t interested in doing my movie in the beginning.”