Kate Winslet hits back at James Cameron feud claims

Kate Winslet has addressed the long-running rumour she clashed with the director James Cameron while making Titanic.

The 1997 film was a springboard for Kate as her role as Rose DeWitt Bukater catapulted her into the A-List and secured her first Best Actress Oscar nomination.

But rumours quickly emerged that there was a feud between her and the director James after she made off-hand comments about the gruelling filming process of the disaster movie.

Hitting back at the speculation, Kate told Variety in a cover interview released this week, "There's a part of me that feels almost sad that stupid, speculative Titanic stuff at the time overshadowed the actual relationship I have with him.

"He knows I will be up for anything. Any challenge, any piece of direction you give me? I'll try it."

And confronting the gossip himself in the same magazine cover interview, James said, "There was never a rift between us."

He explained, "She had a little postpartum depression when she let go of Rose. She and I have talked about the fact that she goes really, really deep, and her characters leave a lasting, sometimes dramatic impression on her."

James did, however, admit he almost didn't cast Kate in the iconic role, confessing, "It seemed like lazy casting. But then wiser heads prevailed, and I could see what everybody was talking about. She's very alive. She comes into a room with a great deal of confidence, and she's got that spark of life."