James Cameron says that Kate Winslet was "a bit traumatised" after working on 'Titanic'.

The 47-year-old actress shot to global stardom after appearing in the 1997 romantic epic but the director has revealed how she was taken aback by the scale of the blockbuster as a young performer.

James told the Radio Times magazine: "Kate came out of 'Titanic' a bit traumatised by the scale of the production and her responsibility within it."

Cameron and Winslet have teamed up on their first joint project for 25 years in 'Avatar: The Way of Water' – the long-awaited sequel to the sci-fi epic 'Avatar' – and the filmmaker insists there is no lasting animosity between the pair.

He said: "We've both been eager over time to work together again, to see what the other is about at this point in our lives and careers."

James explained how Kate has now become bolder on set as her career has progressed.

The 'Terminator' helmer said: "She's very large and in charge on set. You'd swear she was producing the film."

Kate explained that she has always admired Cameron's filmmaking skills and thinks that the director has mellowed in the years since 'Titanic'.

She said: "Jim is much more calm now. In those days there was no space for him to say: 'It might not work.' He had to make it work.

"There were all those conversations about this huge film, 'Titanic'. I can't imagine the pressure. As we get older we learn how to say: 'I made a mistake.' We all get better at that, don't we?"

The 'Avatar' sequel is one of the most expensive of all time and James accepts the fact that more movies in the franchise may not be possible if the new flick fails to deliver at the box office.

He explained: "It's simple. If 'Terminator 1' had failed, there wouldn't have been a 'Terminator 2'.

"It's possible, maybe even probable, that in our post-Covid streaming marketplace we won't be able to achieve the levels that make (four more 'Avatar' movies) a sound business proposition."