James Cameron was so impressed with the woman's life that he created the protagonist of the classic film based on her life.
On an April night in 1912, the Titanic, which was supposed to be an indestructible ship, struck an iceberg and, a few hours later, sank in the Atlantic Ocean, leaving more than 1,500 dead.
Most can somehow visualize that moment thanks to the magic of cinema and the mastery of director James Cameron, who gave us that legendary film about the cruise in 1997.
We have lived 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 it, sacrificing himself in the process. Two charismatic, strong and eternal protagonists who will probably always be remembered by everyone, whether they liked the film more or less.
Both characters have characteristic elements, unique and typical 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 being so similar to this American woman, since chance wanted the filmmaker to read Wood's autobiography just when he was developing the characters of the story that would end up winning 11 Oscars.
Coming from an upper-class family, Wood abandoned 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 begins with a shot 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 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; progressive and that 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 for what she wanted, one ahead of her time, just like Wood was.
In the film you can see how the young woman constantly questions the rules of the society of those times, especially in the role that they 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 was not going to tie herself to anyone or anything.
The artist never married, although she does admit that she had a 'Jack' in her life with whom she could not commit due to cultural differences: an Indian scientist whose conservative parents made it clear that 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 in detail the character he was writing for the elderly Rose. “When I met her, she was charming, creative and very funny. In the film, Rose is a reflection of Beatrice, combined with other fictional elements,” Cameron said. She was 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 they asked her what the secret was to such longevity, the artist responded that the key was in 'art, books, chocolate and young men'. However, despite the fame she achieved thanks to Rose, the multifaceted artist never wanted to see the final result of the film.
The old woman did not go to the film's premiere, so James Cameron and Gloria Stuart, who played the elderly Rose in the film, brought her the video to watch on her birthday. She refused to see him, claiming that it was 'too late in her life to be sad.' The woman died a few months later, at 105 years old.
