Dunn Walker felt quite embarrassed by the situation, and it was hard for him to explain further.
However, deep down, Kate was overwhelmed with emotion. She utilized her top-tier acting skills to control the tears welling up in her eyes, forcing herself to keep smiling.
As she kept smiling, she noticed Dunn Walker had fallen silent.
Kate stopped smiling, glanced at him, bit her lip, and bravely asked, "Dunn Walker, do you have a girlfriend?"
"No."
Kate pursed her lips, "Then… do you like me?"
Dunn Walker's heart skipped a beat, but he responded with a nonchalant joke, "Of course I like you. You work so hard; I doubt there's anyone in the crew who doesn't like you."
"That's not what I mean…" Kate's tone became a bit anxious, and she decided to just go for it. "I mean, do you love me?"
"What?" Dunn Walker's heart pounded as he looked at her in surprise.
Kate's smile faded, and she spoke with a serious expression, "Dunn Walker, I think I'm starting to fall in love with you."
Dunn Walker felt incredibly conflicted!
Kate Winslet had a generous personality—she wasn't pretentious or artificial, and she was brave, strong-willed, and independent. She was a pure girl, worthy of any man's love.
Moreover, her voluptuous and sensual figure was captivating, and Dunn Walker was deeply infatuated with her.
But…
Dunn Walker didn't fully embrace American values; he held on to traditional, somewhat chauvinistic beliefs, even though he knew they were outdated, vulgar, and distasteful.
But deep down, he couldn't overcome or change these ingrained attitudes.
He had a strong sense of purity when it came to relationships. He couldn't accept a girlfriend who had been with other men before, nor could he tolerate her exposing her body on the big screen for the world to see.
He liked Kate very much and was willing to be her best friend, but he didn't want her to be the woman sharing his bed.
"Hey, Kate, that's not a funny joke. You're testing me, right? Haha, we're friends, the best of friends, really good friends!"
Kate's body trembled slightly, but the blanket covered it. She understood what Dunn Walker meant and forced a weak smile, "Yeah, we're friends. Haha, I was just messing with you earlier. You must have taken it seriously, didn't you?"
Dunn Walker sighed inwardly and put on a playful, menacing face, "Oh, Kate, you dared to tease me? Let's see how I'll deal with you!"
"Haha, no! It tickles!"
"Please, forgive me, I was wrong…"
"Dunn Walker, I'm still sick!"
...
The water scenes were grueling, with Dunn Walker opting for a hellish mode of shooting that drove the entire crew to madness and left Kate Winslet bedridden for three days.
But perhaps there's a silver lining in every cloud?
After this period of intense struggle and adjustment, Leonardo and Kate finally fully immersed themselves in their roles as "Jack" and "Rose." Every expression, every gesture, and every movement seemed to transcend their own identities, seamlessly merging with their characters.
Leonardo and Kate's peak performances and detailed acting elevated the entire crew's morale. The subsequent filming became much smoother, like passing through a storm and emerging into the clarity of a rainbow, where everything suddenly made sense.
The water scenes no longer seemed as difficult.
Everyone's perception of Dunn Walker changed—they thought he had planned it all out, carefully building up the emotions of the lead actors before tackling the specific scenes, significantly speeding up the filming process. They didn't realize it was more a matter of luck than strategy.
Even Cameron humbly asked, "Dunn Walker, can you tell me why this happened?"
Since Leonardo and Kate's "parting of life and death" scene on the water, their acting had reached an extraordinary level, especially Kate Winslet, whose performance could be described as flawless!
Perhaps Audrey Hepburn in *Roman Holiday* and Vivien Leigh in *Gone with the Wind* were no better.
Dunn Walker gave a mysterious smile, "It's simple, James. You need to understand one thing: acting is like the tide; it rises and falls. If it always stays at the same level, it's just a calm sea."
A calm sea has its endless beauty, but it's nowhere near as thrilling as the ebb and flow of the tides.
Cameron was sharp and immediately grasped Dunn Walker's meaning. "You're saying… you deliberately let Leonardo and Kate's performances be lax before, just to reach the peak state during these water scenes?"
**Dunn Walker smiled and said:** "Of course. No one can maintain peak performance for months on end; their spirit would collapse. So, you have to use your best efforts where they count the most."
Dunn Walker's words, though they had a hint of bluffing to mislead Cameron, weren't entirely false.
In the original *Titanic*, Leonardo and Kate's performances remained consistent throughout, generally around 90% of their capability. However, Dunn Walker's approach was different. He deliberately relaxed his standards at the start, allowing some scenes to pass with an 80% performance. But when it came to the crucial water scenes, he demanded even more than Cameron.
This approach led to a dramatic explosion in Leonardo and Kate's performances towards the end, far exceeding the typical 90%. They reached levels of 98, 99, or even 100%.
It was no wonder Dunn Walker felt proud—leaving his mark on such a monumental film, achieving even better results than Cameron, was something to boast about.
Seeing Cameron deep in thought, Dunn Walker continued, "James, you have to understand, this movie, once edited, will likely exceed three hours. Do you know what that means? No one can maintain their focus for that long. Only the climactic moments of the film can truly pull the audience back in."
"So the importance of this performance far outweighs the earlier dramatic scenes," Cameron mused.
"Exactly." Dunn Walker felt a sense of pride in having Cameron, such an iconic director, learning from him. "You have to make sacrifices to gain something. Understanding the audience's viewing habits and prioritizing key moments is the director's most important job."
After a moment of silence, Cameron smiled. "Dunn Walker, I've said it before, you're a genius. While your reasoning might not completely convince me, I can't deny that your approach has proven successful. Even if I had directed this film, I might not have done it better."
Dunn Walker burst out laughing. "James, I'm not sure about that, but I do know your budget would definitely be much higher than mine!"
Cameron couldn't help but laugh and shake his head.
After their initial disputes and arguments, and over two months of working together, Cameron had long forgotten his frustrations about being replaced as the director.
The fundamental reason? Dunn Walker had proven himself capable of directing *Titanic*.
The filming in Rosarito had finally come to an end, and the crew moved on to the New York set.
The New York scenes, shot mostly in front of green screens, were relatively simple. At this time, green screen technology was still in its infancy, with limited special effects and no motion capture, so many of the scenes were shot using models and props.
With George Paxton leading the way and Jon Landau's influence completely removed, the New York shoot went smoothly. Thirteen days later, *Titanic* officially wrapped!
"Thank you all for the past three months of companionship, support, and guidance. I'm a young director, and inevitably there were many oversights. Fortunately, James created a great team, bringing us together to overcome challenge after challenge! Now, the filming is finally over, and the effort and dedication everyone put in will never be forgotten in history! Now, I declare, *Titanic* has wrapped!"
*Pop! Pop! Pop!*
The pre-prepared champagne bottles burst open as Dunn Walker excitedly shouted, and the rich, sparkling liquid sprayed into the air.
Cheers erupted.
That day was December 28, 1996.