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Frances Fisher isnt sure theres anything left to say aboutTitanic, and who can blame her?
Few cultural touchstones have been as widelydocumentedanddebatedas James Camerons 1997 voyage across the ocean.
Still, Fisher accepted Vultures invitation to sail down memory lane 25 years later.
Ruth isnt as despicable as Roses fiance, Cal (Billy Zane), but she comes awfully close.
Together, theyre as easy to hate as Camerons movie is to love.
But that doesnt translate into how the public is going to receive it.
Thats not what I do.
Im going to work, and I dont pay attention to all that.
Having that corset on completely changes your breathing style and posture.
That was all my hair put up under a huge hat.
That was another thing that contributes to a kind of grumpiness that I think Ruth had.
Nobody could breathe correctly.
There were not a lot of places where you could rest.
Sitting down was difficult.
The corset would dig into your body, and you couldnt lean back the hat was so big.
The proportions were incorrect.
So we did a lot of standing around.
I was going to ask if that meant you had to stay upright the whole time.Yeah, basically.
It was very helpful.
We shot it in real time.
We did lots and lots of takes and turnarounds.
We shot it over and over again.
Was it cold?Not particularly.
It was late summer or early fall, because we were done before Christmas.
Plus we were very well dressed.
We had layers and layers of clothes on.
All of the breath was done in postproduction.
People had to be immersed in that water for hours on end, so it wasnt icy cold.
But I never got wet, so I never had to deal with water.
All the background people said it was quite pleasant.
And there was a hot tub.
Theyd be eating their sandwiches with purple lips.
It was quite the sight.
I didnt realize actors played those bodies.
Do you recall actually eating that caviar while shooting?Oh, absolutely.
Then he didnt want to see another bowl of caviar in his life, because he ate so much.
It was really funny.
You dont want to eat so much on-camera at the beginning, when youre doing the first few takes.
You have to figure out how to pretend to chew instead of actually chewing and swallowing.
I can understand why thousands of dollars of caviar would be tempting.Yeah.
Then after a week, youre over it.
Speaking of Cameron, a lot of people have strong feelings about him on both sides.
I wasnt on the set as long as other people were, but I had a great time.
I have great respect for his vision and ability to lead that group of people.
We had two first ADs it was that big.
He was always up and always energized.
He had great enthusiasm.
It was a long time ago!
It was a very heady night.
I remember meeting Celine Dion and her husband giving me a big hug.
The excitement of all of that was great.
How many did we win 11?
We were down there for six months doing the flashback part.
It was a long shoot.
We were at the Royal Albert theater.
Leo and the rest of the cast were sitting behind them.
I had flown in that day and got ready.
It was a whirlwind.
It was a very emotional ending, as you know.
And he turned around and put his arm on my arm and said, Its a marathon, darling.
Then he gave me the doily, which I still have.
Do you have any otherTitanicmemorabilia?I got some of the place configs and tablecloths.
I kept some of my costumes.
I always keep mementos of things Ive done.
I have a lot of memorabilia.
I have to ask: Could Jack have fit on the door?
Whats your verdict on that never-ending debate?Im so tired of hearing that.
That whole thing is so silly to me.
The story wouldnt have been told the way it ended up.
He had to die.
Ill say one story about Jims passion for what he was doing.
It was out of focus.
They were shooting down on him, but Jim went, Stop, stop!
This is a brand-new ship!
There wouldnt have been a scuff mark here.
He said, Weve got to get that scuff mark out.
I walked over to him and said, Jim, you have people for this.
He goes, Well, I knew where the scuff was.
Ive worked every job on a set, and you just have to do it.
He wasnt lording over people.
Whatever he needed to do to get the job done that was his attitude.
Are there any other definingTitanicmemories for you?Nothing that I would want to put in print.
What does that mean?You know, we had a lot of bonding experiences.
I remember for Thanksgiving, I went home and had dinner with my family.
We did things like that.
There was a lot of bonding that went on when we werent working.
It depended on who was working and who wasnt working.
Leo and Kate didnt have a lot of downtime.
Who else on the set were you particularly fond of?Obviously, Kate and Leo.
Im still great friends with Billy Zane and Jonathan Hyde.
All of us who were the secondary cast are still connected.
I talk to Rochelle Rose, who played the countess, a lot.
Its been 25 years!
This interview has been edited and condensed.
