James Cameron Reveals He Still Keeps in Touch With ‘Titanic’ Stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet Today

They’ll never let go! It’s been more than 20 years since Titanic sailed into theaters, but director James Cameron still stays in contact with his two leads, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

In 1997, everyone was blown away by the film that mixed fact with an on-ship Hollywood love story — so much so that it went on to make the most money at the box office ever (a record that was soon broken by James’ Avatar and then again by Star Wars: The Force Awakens). The movie also launched the career of Kate, 43, and dropped Leo, 44, an already highly regarded young actor, into mainstream popularity. The romance-drama was, of course, a game-changer, and the Terminator creator, 64, makes sure he still talks to his two stars today.

“Kate worked on Avatar 2 and 3, and I think I just emailed with her a couple days ago,” James told Us Weekly at the Alita: Battle Angel premiere at the Westwood Village Regency Theatre in Los Angeles on Tuesday, February 5. He also revealed, “Leo and I collide mostly in the environmental circles because he’s doing a lot of good work around climate change and the environment and sustainability … we’re not collaborating directly but we sort of cross paths all the time in that world.”

The producer and writer also responded to the possibility of him and the Wolf of Wall Street star teaming up again. “[It’s] more up to him than to me,” he said, adding that it’s a “no-brainer” for him. He continued, “I haven’t gone as far as to write a character for him specifically, that sort of thing, but I can certainly imagine it happening.” The Aliens writer did work with the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind actress again, and he was all about it.

“It was a dream,” James said. “Kate was a phenomenal collaborator and just so gung-ho. She was really excited about doing the water work and she, at her peak, I think she held her breath for seven and a half minutes. She truly embraced the physicality of the character too, and she was a dream to work with.” The filmmaker then joked, “Not the pain-in-the-ass diva that she was the first time! No, she was a dream on Titanic as well.”

Titanic went on to win 11 Oscars at the 1998 Academy Awards, including Best Director. As for the film’s onscreen lovers, they’ve become Oscar winners themselves since then.