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Kate Winslet remembered her Titanic And Avatar: The Way of Water Producer Jon Landau, upon hearing the news of his death at the age of 63, exclaimed that “his passion for filmmaking only grew greater with age.”
Winslet said she has known Landau “since I was 20 years old.” The British actress, who played Landau before her Titanic was known for arthouse films such as Sensation and sensitivity And Celestial beingsrocketed to stardom with the James Cameron-produced 1997 film Landau about the doomed ocean liner, which for a time became the highest-grossing film ever with $2.2 billion (that title would be ceded to Cameron’s Avatar ($2.92 billion). Titanic earned Winslet her second Oscar nomination/first Best Actress nomination. In Titanic, Winslet played upper crust passenger Rose DeWitt Bukater. Although engaged to wealthy Caledon “Cal” Hockley, Rose falls for Leonardo DiCaprio’s penniless artist, Jack Dawson, while on board.
Winslet is said to be working with Landau and Cameron again in 2022 Avatar: The Way of Water as Ronal in the $2.3 billion-grossing sequel. In the film, Ronal, a member of the Metkayina sea clan, shelters Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family as they flee their human conquerors.
Winslet tells Deadline tonight: “Jon Landau was the kindest, best man.”
She adds: “He was a man who was rich in compassion and exceptionally good at supporting and nurturing teams of phenomenally creative people.”
“His strength in life was that he knew how important family was, at home and at work,” Winslet continued.
“He was always full of smiles and gratitude. I can’t believe I’m writing this, I can’t believe he’s gone.”