As *Titanic* continued its massive rollout, the power of word-of-mouth finally ignited an explosion across North America!
Even long-established magazines that typically focus only on avant-garde, artistic, or independent films—such as *The Village Voice*, *The New Yorker*, and *The New Republic*—published reviews on the movie.
Of course, given the usual attitude of these critics, most of the feedback was still negative. They criticized Jack and Rose's love story as overly idealized, the plot as too dramatic, and the depiction of human nature in the face of disaster as lacking depth. In short, they dismissed it as an adult fairy tale.
However, there was near-universal praise for Kate Winslet's performance.
Just last year, she had been nominated for both the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Ang Lee's *Sense and Sensibility*. And for the next Oscars, she was practically guaranteed a nomination.
While the niche art-house critics remained divided, mainstream media outlets were overwhelmingly positive. The praise spread like a virus, reaching every corner of the United States.
Even with competition from *The Fifth Element*, *Titanic* was an unstoppable force, consistently pulling in over $10 million per day at the box office.
Dunn was so confident in the film's momentum that he believed even the tabloid scandals circulating about him wouldn't affect ticket sales.
*Titanic* was unstoppable!
However, a special report from *The Los Angeles Times* soon caught Dunn's attention.
This wasn't some gossip rag or a niche film magazine—it was a widely circulated, comprehensive newspaper.
And the interview subject? None other than Dunn's old acquaintance—Jon Landau.
"Dunn Walker is a young man, no doubt about that. He's certainly talented. But let's not forget—when he directed this film last year, he was only 18 years old! Can an 18-year-old really manage a crew of over a hundred people? In reality, he made quite a few laughable mistakes on set."
Landau spoke with reckless abandon, openly smearing Dunn's reputation. He was convinced that Dunn had used underhanded tactics to push him out of the *Titanic* production—a humiliation that he could never forgive. Now, it was time for payback.
Just yesterday, Landau had seen numerous magazines and newspapers drop bombshell reports claiming that Dunn and Kate had been living together during filming!
He hadn't been aware of this before, but like Dunn, he suspected that Universal, Sony, or Warner Bros. might be pulling the strings behind the scenes.
With backing from corporate giants like Universal and Sony, Landau felt emboldened. He saw an opportunity and seized it—it was time for revenge!
And so, this *Los Angeles Times* interview came into being.
"We actually assigned Dunn five assistant directors and eight ADs… No, no, I'm not questioning his abilities. It's just that, at the end of the day, he's still a kid, you know? Kids naturally lack experience, perspective, comprehension, imagination… Even his dialogue and shot composition were immature and hasty."
"Yes, the entire production was really overseen by Jamie. After all, Dunn wasn't the producer—he only handled a small portion of the work. Not that his work wasn't important, of course. I mean, he did manage the daily shoot schedules and progress. But the *important* work? That was left to more qualified individuals."
"Kate? Oh, she's an incredibly talented actress—I have nothing but praise for her! But… you know, at the end of the day, she's just an actress. In front of the director, she didn't really have the power to say no… I tried to stop it, of course. In fact, who on set *didn't* try to talk him out of it?"
"Dunn is young. Directing *Titanic* at his age, it's natural for him to be arrogant, stubborn, and unwilling to listen to advice. I deeply regret what happened with Kate, but I still believe she's innocent in all this. I hope this won't affect her engagement."
"I'm really reluctant to comment too much on Dunn and Kate—it's just unfair to her. Hopefully, he'll learn from this and improve. A director's authority is granted by the studio, and it shouldn't be abused for personal gain. That's highly unprofessional."
"I don't want to say much more. Honestly, I still admire Dunn. If he can admit his mistakes, take responsibility, and correct his flaws, maybe in 20 or 30 years, he could stand on his own and become a great director. But with his personality… *sigh*."
Reading the article, Dunn could almost *feel* Landau's "well-intentioned" disappointment—like a father lamenting a wayward son.
"Wow, a *renowned* producer, huh? He even managed to get a big newspaper like this to run his story." Dunn smirked coldly and dialed James Cameron's number. "James, did you see what Jon Landau is saying?"
Cameron was silent for a long time before letting out a sigh. "Dunn, I owe you an apology."
Dunn responded coolly, "James, we're friends. I don't need your apology. But your old buddy seems to have a serious grudge against me."
"Jon… went too far this time." Cameron sounded conflicted, caught between loyalty and reality.
Dunn didn't press him. Instead, he stated bluntly, "James, this has nothing to do with you. I just wanted to let you know—Jon Landau has messed with the wrong person."
Even if everything Landau said was true, it should have *never* been made public.
Hollywood had its own rules. Internal disputes were resolved *internally*. The industry would come up with a polished narrative for the public—no one in their right mind would openly air the dirty laundry.
Landau had broken those rules.
And in Hollywood, breaking the rules meant being cast out.
Dunn then called Bill Mechanic. "Bill, did you hear about Landau's little stunt?"
Mechanic didn't hide anything. "Dunn, I want to personally apologize for the situation with you and Kate. Tom just spoke to me—he's stepping back from control over the next two films. Consider this matter settled. As for Jon Landau, Tom and I are on the same page. There's no place in this industry for someone who disregards the rules."
Dunn raised an eyebrow, quickly catching the deeper meaning behind Mechanic's words.
The leak about his relationship with Kate had likely been part of a power struggle within Fox. Now that Tom Rothman had backed down, Mechanic was also choosing not to dig any deeper.
After all, in the grand scheme of things, the reputations of two minor players meant nothing compared to corporate power.
It seemed Rothman had realized that *Titanic* was an unstoppable force. Petty tricks were pointless now.
And as for Landau's reckless statements in *The Los Angeles Times*—they had nothing to do with Rothman.
Because what Landau had done… was *break the rules*.
Every industry had its unspoken rules, and Hollywood was no exception.
Maintaining control over those beneath you was *the* fundamental principle in Hollywood. It was an ironclad law, fiercely protected by those at the top.
Anyone who dared challenge the hierarchy was doomed.
To actors, directors and producers were the ruling class.
Take Harvey Weinstein, for example—he spent decades abusing, manipulating, and assaulting actresses. Yet, for the longest time, he was untouchable, treated like a god. Even when allegations surfaced, they quickly disappeared.
It wasn't until his company's *internal* power struggle exposed him that things finally changed.
And even then, look at the people who spoke out—it was mostly struggling, washed-up, or lower-tier actors. Did *any* of Hollywood's true power players—executives, top-tier agents, A-list directors, or mega-stars—condemn him?
Of course not.
Because they were all part of the same system, protecting their shared interests.
Landau had made a fatal mistake—he had sided with an "outsider" (Kate) against an *insider* (Dunn).
But Dunn wasn't alone. He had the full weight of Hollywood behind him.
Jon Landau wasn't fighting one man—he was taking on the *entire* industry.
Dunn chuckled darkly. "Bill, I want our core cast to go on *The Tonight Show* for some promo."
Mechanic immediately agreed. "Consider it done—by tomorrow at the latest. Don't worry, Dunn. This time, *all* of Hollywood is behind you."