In the 25 years since Titanic one of the most pedantic debates about the movie that still haunts director James Cameron comes from fans claiming that Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack could have survived the movie if Kate Winslet’s Rose had tried to share the floating piece of debris in the frigid Atlantic waters, now Cameron admits there is at least one scenario where Jack could have possibly survived. In the new special Titanic: 25 Years Later with James CameronCameron explores several scenarios not featured in the film, and the director confirmed that if Rose had given Jack her life jacket to isolate him, he might have survived, but there are “a lot of variables”. Titanic: 25 Years Later with James Cameron airs on National Geographic on February 4.

Fans initially claimed that the piece of rubble Rose was floating on had room for Jack to babysit it too, though the special confirms that, thanks to testing with the help of stunt performers, the piece of wood might have been big enough but wouldn’t. have enough buoyancy to support them both to keep them out of the icy water.

In a second test, the stuntmen could only hold their top halves out of the water, which would have kept their vital organs warmer, and while they could have survived for hours, it’s unknown if that saved them. However, considering the physically exhausting journey the pair have taken to get to that point, it seems unlikely that they would have the physical stamina to maintain their strength long enough.

In the final test, Rose gave Jack her life jacket, and since she was wearing a heavier outfit, it’s possible the pair both survived the situation.

“He’s stabilized,” Cameron shared in a clip from the upcoming special. “He got to a place where if we projected that out there, he might have made it until the lifeboat got there. Jack may have lived, but there are a lot of variables. I think his thought process was, ‘I’m not doing anything that put her in danger’, and that’s 100 percent character.”

Titanic: 25 Years Later with James Cameron airs on National Geographic on February 4.

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