Regina Hall is weighing in on the ongoing Titanic door debate that has baffled fans for years. While promoting her partnership with Bounty, the Girls Trip actress shared her thoughts on the infamous scene where Kate Winslet’s character, Rose, survives the sinking while Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack freezes to death in the icy waters.
Hall, known for her comedic chops, doesn’t hold back as she humorously questions whether Rose truly tried hard enough to save Jack.
Hall’s Take on Rose’s Actions
In the debate over whether the door (which wasn’t actually a door, but a piece of balsa wood) could support both characters, Hall jokingly suggests that Rose might not have done everything she could have.
“She got up there and got comfortable enough to conk out,” Hall laughs. “She woke up and was like, ‘Damn, Jack!’ It wasn’t enough. She was sleeping so hard her voice couldn’t wake up. Jack was gone!”
According to Hall, while Rose was in the middle of chaos, she could have taken more drastic action to help Jack. “I feel like if she was going to be on the door, at the very least, she should have stayed awake!” Hall says, implying that a bit more effort could have kept Jack alive. “She could have even lied on top of Jack and let him be on the door!”
The Prop and the Debate
For those who don’t know, the iconic “door” that Rose floats on was actually not a door at all but a piece of balsa wood, crafted to resemble part of the Titanic’s first-class lounge entrance. The prop became a piece of movie history and sold for nearly a million dollars in 2024.
Despite the scientific study conducted by James Cameron and a team of experts in 2023, the debate about whether both characters could have survived continues to stir controversy.
The director himself, in the documentary Titanic: 25 Years Later with James Cameron, sought answers by hiring stunt doubles to re-enact the scene under controlled conditions.
While the results were inconclusive, Cameron, who has frequently been asked about this moment, maintained that Jack’s death was necessary for the emotional depth of the story. “Jack needed to die,” Cameron stated in a 2022 interview, likening the scene to Romeo and Juliet — a tale of love, sacrifice, and mortality.
Winslet and DiCaprio’s Take on the Debate
Kate Winslet, who portrayed Rose, admitted in 2024 that she and Leonardo DiCaprio have been repeatedly asked about the door since the movie’s release. In fact, during the Lee press tour, she teased DiCaprio about the enduring nature of the “Titanic question.”
“I thought, ‘He’s busting out the Titanic question and next he’s gonna ask me about the door,'” she joked on The Project talk show in Australia.
For DiCaprio, it seems the endless questioning has become almost comical. Winslet, in a 2024 panel, even teased that DiCaprio likely has “PTSD” from being asked the viral door question over and over.
Despite the scientific studies and passionate debates, Regina Hall’s take on Rose’s actions during the Titanic sinking is both humorous and thought-provoking. Hall believes Rose could have tried harder, even if only to stay awake and give Jack a fighting chance.
While director James Cameron’s take on the story will always remain focused on love and sacrifice, fans like Hall continue to discuss and reimagine what might have happened if Rose had acted differently.
While the iconic door debate may never have a definitive answer, one thing is clear: Titanic remains a cultural touchstone that continues to spark conversations, even decades after its release.
