To mark the 25th anniversary of “Titanic,” director James Cameron is using science to test a theory that has plagued fans for over two decades: Could Jack and Rose both have fit on the piece of wood after the ship sank?
In a new clip for the upcoming National Geographic's documentary, "Titanic: 25 Years Later," Cameron conducts a "scientific study" to debunk the theory that Leonardo DiCaprio could've fit on the floating piece of ship debris with Kate Winslet at the end of the film.
Stunt doubles with body types similar to the two movie stars simulate what Jack and Rose endured in the freezing North Atlantic Ocean waters after the ocean liner sank. Recreated in a pool in New Zealand, the water temperature was raised from 28 degrees Fahrenheit to 56 degrees for double the exposure time.
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
The experiment was overseen by University of Otago hypothermia expert James Cotter.
Cameron and Cotter perform four rounds of tests to demonstrate that both Rose and Jack couldn’t have survived on the floating debris.
Also known as the "door theory," fans have spent years trying to prove that there was plenty of space on the wood slab for the two to survive. Cameron also sets the record straight that it was a piece of panel from the first-class cabins and not a door as many have long assumed.
Entertainment News
Still, even Winslet acknowledged in a 2016 interview on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" that she believes Rose could have moved over and saved Jack instead of allowing him to freeze to death while she hogged the debris.
"I think [Jack] could have actually fit on that bit of door,” she said.
"Titanic: 25 Years Later" premieres on Feb. 5.
