James Cameron was so impressed with the woman's life that he created the protagonist of the classic film based on her life.
On a night in April 1912, the Titanic, supposed to be an indestructible ship, struck an iceberg and, a few hours later, sank in the Atlantic Ocean, killing more than 1,500 people.
Most of us can visualize that moment in some way thanks to the magic of cinema and the mastery of director James Cameron, who gave us that mythical film about the cruise in 1997.
We have experienced that moment a thousand times: Rose and Jack in the middle of the ocean, with her on a board, and him trying to save her from her, sacrificing himself in the process. Two charismatic, strong, and eternal protagonists who will probably always be remembered by everyone, whether they liked the movie more or less.
Both characters have characteristic, unique, and typical elements of the time; which made them unforgettable. However, what you may not know is that Rose's character is based on a real-life artist: Beatrice Wood.
Cameron himself is responsible for the character so similar to this American woman, as chance wanted the filmmaker to read Wood's autobiography just as he was developing the characters in the story that would end up winning 11 Oscars.
Coming from an upper-class family, Wood gave up everything to try to understand what it was like to live 'without resources'. The true protagonist of this story developed a prolific career in the world of arts, as an abstract and avant-garde painter or sculptor who found inspiration in artists such as Claude Monet or Marcel Duchamp. In fact, the film opens with an image of the elderly Rose creating ceramic works, just as she receives the call that will change her life.
The curious thing about the story is that, despite having lived at the time, Beatrice was never a passenger on the famous ocean liner. The artist would have been about Rose's age when the Titanic sank, so the acclaimed director chose to add parts of Beatrice's true story in Rose, thus creating a rebellious, daring, and fearless woman; a progressive who sought the development of women in an egalitarian society.
Rose owes a lot to Beatrice. Cameron decided to go for a challenging female character; a Rose with the guts who fought for her freedom and what she wanted, one ahead of her time, just as Wood was.
In In, did you, can see how the young woman questions the rules of the society of those times at all times, especially in the role that she tried to impose on her just because she was a woman. Beatrice did her own thing in her life, challenging society through her art and proclaiming to be a 'free spirit' who would not be tied to anyone or anything.
The artist was never married, though she does admit that she had a 'Jack' in her life that she couldn't commit to due to cultural differences: an Indian scientist whose conservative parents made it clear they would never accept a 'free' woman. ' like her.
Cameron maintains that the first chapter of Beatrice Wood's biography, I Shock Myself, describes almost heartily the character he was writing for the elderly Rose. “When I met her, she was charming, creative, and a lot of fun. In the film, Rose is a reflection of Beatrice, combined with other fictional elements," Cameron said. She is a woman who wanted to create her own story, and so she did.
Beatrice Wood lived intensely for more than a century. They say that when asked what the secret to such longevity was, the artist replied that the key was in 'art, books, chocolate, and young men'. However, despite the fame she achieved thanks to Rose, the multi-faceted artist never wanted to see the final result of the film.
The old lady did not go to the film's premiere, so James Cameron and Gloria Stuart, who played the old Rose in the film, brought her the video to watch on her birthday. She refused to see him, claiming it was 'too late in her life to be sad'. The woman herself passed away a few months later, at the age of 105.
