These word of mouth stories allegedly led Cameron to base the character of Jack Dawson in Titanic on Cummings’ life.
There are no specific details as to how Cummings life is mirrored in the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio.
According to TMZ, Stephen Cummings, an ex-yacht master in Florida claims in court documents that Titanic director James Cameron learned of him via word of mouth regarding events that took place in Brevard County in the late 1980s.