James Cameron's career as a movie director is legendary. Not only has he provided movie lovers with some of the most bombastic and theatrical films of all time, but he has also created some of the best protagonists and villains in movie history.
Cameron has long had a reputation for being quite difficult to work with, and this reputation has resulted in some startling and entertaining behind-the-scenes stories. Working on a James Cameron film certainly sounds like an experience, and, if stories like this are anything to go by, the experience may prove to be just as memorable as the movies themselves.
Updated on January 12th, 2023 by Jordan Iacobucci: James Cameron is bringing audiences back to the world of Pandora with Avatar 2, thirteen years after the original film first hit theaters. Though he is undeniably one of the greatest directors of all time, Cameron is also notorious for his behind-the-scenes antics, which often make for terrific stories after the fact. As Avatar 2 approaches its release, even more unbelievable stories regarding the director are bubbling to the surface.
The Time The Crew For James Cameron's Titanic Was Drugged With PCP
One of the most famous stories about a James Cameron movie is the time when some of the crew for Titanic were unwittingly dosed with PCP. Confirmed by Snopes to be "mostly true," in August of 1996, dozens of people fell horribly sick after eating chowder that was laced with the hallucinatory drug. An estimated 80 people were hospitalized with what was thought to be a severe case of food poisoning, and the perpetrator was never identified.
While Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet avoided the chowder, both Bill Paxton and Cameron himself were two of its victims. Fortunately, Cameron avoided most of the damage by forcing himself to vomit after realizing that something was wrong.
Going To The Titanic
Titanic was made for an estimated $200 million, making it one of the most expensive films ever produced—but James Cameron never really had an interest in making it. Cameron's interest lay largely in the Titanic itself, and he essentially made the movie to finance a trip to the wreck site.
Cameron told Playboy, "I made Titanic because I wanted to dive to the shipwreck, not because I particularly wanted to make the movie. When I learned some other guys had dived to the Titanic to make an IMAX movie, I said, 'I’ll make a Hollywood movie to pay for an expedition and do the same thing.'"
Breaking Into The Editing Room
When it comes to the highest-earning directorial debuts, James Cameron is nowhere to be seen. That's because his professional debut was a little-known horror movie called Piranha II: The Spawning that failed at the box office and earned horrible reviews.
In Christopher Heard's biography of Cameron titled Dreaming Aloud, Heard states that Cameron was given no control over the editing process, so he continuously broke into the editing room and cut the film himself. He was caught in the act, and most of his work was thrown out.
Building The Largest Freshwater Tank
Following the wild success of Aliens—arguably the best sci-fi movie sequel ever made—in 1986, James Cameron directed one of his most underrated films, an underwater science fiction film titled The Abyss. The Abyss was produced for an estimated $50 million, and it was shot in an unfinished and abandoned power plant called the Cherokee Nuclear Power Plant.
According to an article written in Starlog Magazine titled "Underwater in The Abyss," two massive custom tanks were built for the film, which combined to hold 10 million gallons of water. The first tank measured 6 stories deep and 210 feet wide, making it the largest freshwater tank on Earth.
Nailing Phones To The Wall
While Cameron is known for turning out artistic works of cinema that captivate audiences, his behind-the-scenes manner of directing isn't necessarily the most amicable, following in the footsteps of other great directors, such as Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock.
James Cameron is known to have a temper, which was clearly on full display while filming Avatar. An article from The Guardian mentions that Cameron would staple cell phones to the wall with a nail gun if he heard them going off. This may sound like mere rumor, but it has been backed up by star Sam Worthington, who told Entertainment Weekly that "He [nails phones] above the exit, so you always remember when you go out."
Building A Replica Jet On Top Of A Skyscraper
James Cameron loves to go all out while filming his movies, and True Lies was made for an estimated $120 million, an exorbitant amount that equates to roughly $220 million today. Part of that budget went to building a 50-foot replica Harrier Jet, as was featured in a Discovery Channel segment, and attaching it to a complex hydraulic system on top of a skyscraper.
Luckily, all the hard work on this film was worth it in the end, as the movie earned a BAFTA and Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects. Examples such as this have encouraged Cameron to continue to include an extra dosage of realism when it comes to his film sets.
Nearly Firing People For Taking Bathroom Breaks
James Cameron is such a hard worker that he hates the very idea of breaks. An article in Time written back in 1997 claims that "crew members say Cameron often kept them going as long as 10 hours without pause."
Cameron's penchant for hard work was painfully felt on the set of True Lies, as he "[threatened] to fire employees who took bathroom breaks." This was perhaps most painfully felt by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who, as per Entertainment Weekly, stated that he couldn't go to the bathroom while filming inside the fake Harrier jet.
Actors Peed In The Water Tank On Titanic
By many accounts, making Titanic was a disaster, and many things went wrong throughout the film's production. Like many of Cameron's other films, the extras and actors working on Titanic were not allowed to take bathroom breaks, as the director was sticking to a stringent schedule that didn't account for breaks.
But, since people have to go, and, because Cameron didn't allow people to go to the bathroom, they simply decided to pee in the giant water tank. Both Leonardo DeCaprio and Kate Winslet have admitted to relieving themselves in the on-set water tank, with the latter even claiming that it would take a lot of money for her to ever work with Cameron again, despite teaming up with him for the upcoming Avatar 2 (which perhaps gives audiences some insight into her paycheck for the film).
Chemical Burns
Chlorine is used in pools the world over, so people often forget just how dangerous the chemical actually is. To prevent microbes, the water used for filming The Abyss was heavily chlorinated. Unfortunately, said chlorine wreaked havoc on the actors and crew working underwater for extended periods of time.
As a result of this treatment, the cast and crew found themselves reaping physical consequences. Hair turned green and white, and, in some cases, the chlorine even caused visible skin burns. As such, Vaseline was heavily applied before shooting underwater.
James Cameron Was Allegedly Punched By Ed Harris
While The Abyss makes for a great sci-fi mystery film, it has somewhat been forgotten throughout the years. It's a shame, as a lot of people worked hard on the film. Also, as mentioned by Syfy, a lot of people nearly died, including James Cameron himself.
As noted by The Things, rumors have persisted for years that at one point, actor Ed Harris punched Cameron in the face, and he reportedly cried one day while driving home because he was so stressed working under the demanding director. He still refuses to speak about the movie, saying, "I'm not talking about The Abyss and I never will."
(Almost) Rebuilding The Titanic
Titanic was a massive undertaking of a film, with the set designers going above and beyond to ensure that the boat perfectly resembled its real-life counterpart. The process was so expensive that it actually made more fiscal sense to rebuild the Titanic as a real, working ship, which was very nearly what Cameron did.
Cameron has since spoken about this, revealing that, while it might have been cheaper to rebuild the ship itself, he would have only been able to sink it once, leaving the cast and crew only one chance to get the climactic scene right. Therefore, despite the expense, it simply made more sense to build functioning sets that could account for multiple takes.
Cursing Out A Studio Executive
James Cameron is known for his hot temper, which he doesn't seem to be ashamed of at all. The director has even snitched on himself in this regard, revealing that he cursed a certain studio executive out when questioned about Avatar's long runtime.
While Cameron was proven right regarding his comments that Avatar would make "all the money," the fact remains that the film's nearly 3-hour runtime doesn't exactly make for the most rewatchable movie in Cameron's filmography. Even so, the upcoming sequel is reported to have an even longer runtime, going over 3 hours.
James Cameron Changed One Thing For Titanic's Re-Release
Titanic is often lauded for its intense attention to detail when it came to recreating the eponymous ship, its crew, and the many passengers aboard. However, noted good-time-ruiner Neal deGrasse Tyson had one criticism of the film's realism, noting that the stars in the night sky during the climactic scene of the film were not accurate when compared to the sky's makeup on the night the Titanic sank.
When Titanic was released in 3D, Cameron didn't make many of the changes that are often applied for a movie's re-release, submitting a nearly identical film to the one that hit theaters in 1997. However, he did alter the sequence in question with a remade sky that amends Tyson's criticism.
James Cameron And The Cast Of Avatar 2 Lived In The Rainforest
While promoting Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron revealed that he took the cast into the rainforest prior to shooting in what he called "a sense-memory odyssey." This was intended to help prepare them for the long and emotional shoot ahead.
Although it remains to be seen whether Cameron's rainforest endeavor with Avatar's cast actually benefits the film, it is a rather unique way to get the actors to bond with one another prior to production. Indeed, their renewed relationships and connection to nature may be apparent when The Way of Water hits theaters this month.
James Cameron Almost Made A Very Different Spider-Man Movie
It may surprise some new Spider-Man fans to know that, prior to Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, the character was originally set to appear in a very different kind of movie, directed by James Cameron himself.
Cameron has been open about his hopes to create a grittier live-action Spider-Man movie than the one that eventually hit theaters in 2002, revealing that he would have cut the "fanciful" notions of superheroism in exchange for intense realism. While this version of the web-swinging superhero might have been interesting to see, many fans of the character are probably relieved to have gotten Raimi's films instead.