Ever wonder where Titanic got the drive to be so unbelievably, terrifyingly successful?  Turns out the highest-grossing film of all time was only looking for acceptance from its distant, enigmatic director, James Cameron - acceptance that never came.  James Cameron shared his thoughts on the doomed ship flick (and apparently everything else) in an interview with Playboy, due out in December.

Cameron went on to say:

"I made Titanic because I wanted to dive to a shipwreck, not because I particularly wanted to make the movie...Titanic was about 'f*ck you' money..."

He might mean 'lots of money.'  Remind me to use that on grandma when she asks how much turkey I want on Thanksgiving.  Speaking of family, Cameron had this to say about his:

"They were pretty much against everything. I can't think of anything my dad was for except hockey. He used to throw my comics and science-fiction books in the trash because he considered them mental junk...He treated science fiction as if it was porn."

From hockey grandpa to Cameron to Titanic, will anyone in that line step up and love?  LOVE!!!  Let us remember the big picture the next time Titanic makes another $100MM in a desperate play for attention.

Titanic

There are a bunch of other good quotes over at Cinematical, and the entire interview will be out in December (as if anyone who buys Playboy will care).  For those who don't know [sarcasm alert], Cameron helmed the ubiquitously marketed Avatar, due out December 18th.  Other than Titanic and Avatar, he directed Terminator 2: Judgement Day, which I have to imagine was about the second coming.

Want more J. Cameron tidbits?  Here's what the director had to say about his inspiration:

"My entrée into Hollywood came as a direct result of Star Wars because George Lucas suddenly made science fiction gold instead of a ghettoized B-movie genre. When most people saw Star Wars there was the shock of the new. For me there was the shock of recognition, as if somebody had taken my private dream and put it up on the screen...I took Star Wars as a sign that what I had to offer was something people wanted."

The art of the interview is tricky one.  Often I'll click on a link lauding some in-depth conversation with a great artist (the debate over Cameron's inclusion in that category aside) hoping for some insight into his ideas, methods, etc. and come away disappointed by an article full of fluff or boring personal anecdotes.  To that end - and because Playboy may have done a good job here - which publication in your opinion does the best job with its interviews? And how do you feel about James Cameron's views on Titanic?

Side Note: Cameron's words may have broken the heart of our own Vic Holtreman - he loves Titanic just that much... ;-)

Source: Cinematical, Playboy