Former Child Star, Who Played Cora in Titanic, Reveals Why This Heartbreaking Scene Was Cut from Film

Mar. 15, 2025

‘Titanic’.Photo:Paramount Pictures; Merie W Wallace/20th Century Fox/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

Paramount Pictures; Merie W Wallace/20th Century Fox/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

Titaniccould have been even more depressing.

On theFeb. 10 episode of theAfter We Wrappodcast,Alex Owens-Sarno, who played Cora inTitanic, opened up about her experiences in the blockbuster film — and one very memorable scene that got cut.

Owens-Sarno, 36, told host Gabriella Ortiz that her experience in the movie was “great.” In her most memorable scene in the film’s final cut, she spins around withLeonardo DiCaprio’sduring thethird class scene. Before he dances withKate Winslet’s Rose, he tells her, “You’re still my best girl, Cora.” Owens-Sarno said she “didn’t even really know who” DiCaprio, 50, was.

“Our first scene that we filmed was this scene that ended up getting cut, and when we went home that day, my mom was like, ‘Do you know who you were on camera with?’ and I was like, ‘Leo, my friend!’” the actress remembered. “She literally showed meGilbert Grapethat week, and I was like, ‘He’s a real actor?! He was my buddy, and it was super fun.”

Titanicwas her first-ever acting job, and the then 8-year-old actress booked it after attending an open casting call for extras. “The dancing was part of my audition,” she remembered.

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Director James Cameron, Owens-Sarno said, “wanted the scene in the movie. I did my own stunt. It’s a lot.”

Leonardo DiCaprio (left) and Kate Winslet in ‘Titanic.'.CBS via Getty

CBS via Getty

“When they were showing [Titanicto] test audiences, [the audiences] were like, ‘Not her. We will not watch her die,’ ” Owens-Sarno said. They thought seeing her death was “way too much.” The upsetting scene was cut, but itdid ultimately appear online.

Owens-Sarno said that after the movie was released, she quickly realized what a big deal it was. “I started being approached on the street, like, ‘Oh my gosh, are you Cora?’ ” she remembered. She realized, “People see me and know me and recognize who I am.”

Owens-Sarno, who was raised in San Diego, noted that after the movie, she got an agent and went out on auditions but didn’t find success as a child star.

As an adult, she decided to return to Los Angeles to pursue acting once again — and the “heightened emotion” of her drowning scene reminds her of what part of acting she loves best. Being a “thicker girl,” she said, she was often pushed into “comedy,” but in the years since she’s become more sure “drama” is where her heart lies.

“I know where my talent lives and can go forward from there,” she said.

source: people.com