Jacob Elordi’s Tearful Confession: The Kate Winslet Film That Surpassed Titanic

It’s not every day an actor known for unsettling roles admits to being undone by a period drama, yet Jacob Elordi has done just that. The film in question? Not the blockbuster you might expect, but a quieter, more refined piece that’s managed to outpace Titanic in the eyes of critics. While James Cameron’s maritime epic still looms large in popular culture, Ang Lee’s adaptation of Sense and Sensibility has quietly edged ahead, at least where critical reception is concerned. Elordi, who’s made a name for himself playing characters who rarely flinch, recently confessed to W Magazine that this particular Winslet performance left him in bits.

I watched Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility, and there’s a moment when Kate Winslet’s character has an emotional realisation. I was sitting there, eating ice cream, and then I just broke down with her character. I cried through that film, just at the hopeless beauty of us all.

Coming from someone who’s just picked up his first Critics’ Choice Award and a Golden Globe nod for his turn in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, the admission lands with a certain weight. Elordi’s appreciation for Winslet’s subtlety hints at why Sense and Sensibility has aged so gracefully. Released two years before Titanic, it boasts a higher Rotten Tomatoes score, a more robust critical consensus, and a reputation built on script, performance, and emotional nuance rather than spectacle.

Critical Reception: Sense and Sensibility vs Titanic

Comparing the two films side by side, the numbers tell a rather different story from the box office. Ang Lee’s 1995 period drama, rooted in Jane Austen’s world, sits at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and 84/100 on Metacritic. Titanic, for all its grandeur, trails with 88% and 75/100 respectively. CinemaScore, that barometer of audience satisfaction, gives Titanic an A+, but Sense and Sensibility is hardly far behind with an A. The former is often cited as one of the finest Austen adaptations, while the latter remains one of the highest-grossing films ever made.

Elordi’s admiration for Winslet’s performance is telling. Her portrayal of Marianne Dashwood is all raw honesty, never angling for pity. The film’s legacy, it seems, is less about box office records and more about the enduring power of restraint and emotional truth.

Inside Sense and Sensibility: Cast, Story, and Enduring Appeal

Ang Lee’s take on Austen’s classic follows the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, as they navigate the pitfalls of inheritance, romance, and social expectation after their father’s death. Emma Thompson’s Elinor is the picture of composure, while Winslet’s Marianne is all heart-on-sleeve impulsiveness. The supporting cast—Thompson, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman—deliver performances that never tip into melodrama. Winslet, in particular, brings a sharpness to Marianne’s vulnerability, allowing her pain to exist without embellishment.

Behind the camera, the film was a labour of patience and risk. Thompson spent five years adapting Austen’s prose, managing to preserve its wit without losing its edge. Lee, unfamiliar with Austen at the outset, approached the material as a study in social constraint and personal freedom. The result? A film that won over both literary purists and modern audiences, earning seven Oscar nominations and a win for Best Adapted Screenplay. More than the accolades, it’s the film’s respect for emotional intelligence and its willingness to let silence speak that keeps it relevant.

Jacob Elordi’s Breakthrough: Frankenstein and Beyond

Elordi’s career has been anything but predictable. At the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards, he took home Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Creature in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. His acceptance was as unfiltered as his performances:

Thank you, Guillermo del Toro. I love you. We all love you. You made my dreams when I was 11. I’m so happy to be here.

The role demanded a complete transformation, both physically and psychologically. Buried under layers of prosthetics and drawing on butoh, a Japanese dance form, Elordi crafted a character defined by rejection and longing. The Creature, initially Victor Frankenstein’s prized creation (played by Oscar Isaac), is cast aside for failing to meet impossible expectations. As the story unfolds, curiosity gives way to rage in the face of relentless cruelty. Elordi has spoken candidly about the personal nature of the role:

It was a vessel that I could put every part of myself into. From the moment that I was born to being here with you today, all of it is in that character. And in so many ways, the creature that’s on screen in this film is the sort of purest form of myself. He’s more me than I am.

With a Golden Globe nomination and Oscar buzz gathering pace, Elordi’s trajectory seems set for the long haul. Whether this signals a renewed appreciation for feeling over spectacle remains to be seen.

Titanic is currently available on Netflix, while Sense and Sensibility can be rented via AppleTV.