Ella Beatty reveals childhood obsession with Titanic and believes she may have 'been there' in a past life

Ella Beatty has opened up about her eccentric childhood obsession with the Titanic, revealing that her famous mother, Annette Bening, had to gently steer her away from a rather morbid Halloween costume choice.

Appearing on Tuesday’s broadcast of The Drew Barrymore Show, the Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story star—who is the daughter of Hollywood heavyweights Bening and Warren Beatty—lit up when asked about her lifelong fascination with the doomed 1912 passenger liner that claimed the lives of over 1,500 people.

“Oh, yeah. Oh, I’m so glad you brought this up. Yes!” Beatty beamed. “Well, the movie I love so much, but I also really love the historical [Titanic]. Like, I felt as a very young child that maybe I was there in a past life.”

Beatty’s deep connection to the nautical tragedy was so strong that it almost made its way into her school's annual costume parade, until her Oscar-nominated mother intervened with some diplomatic parenting.

“I, as a kid, wanted to dress up for Halloween as a survivor of the Titanic,” Beatty explained to a laughing studio audience. “And my mom was like, ‘Maybe not. Or maybe at home? Or maybe not at school? But it’s a lovely idea, it’s a lovely feeling.’”

Ella and Drew discussed her obsession with Titanic on Tuesday's episode (The Drew Barrymore Show / Youtube)

Embracing the actress's quirky passion, host Drew Barrymore surprised Beatty with an entire gift basket curated around the tragedy, complete with a toy boat, a framed poster of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet from James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster, and tickets to the hit Broadway spoof musical Titaníque.

The segment naturally culminated in full cinematic indulgence when Barrymore suggested they cap off the interview by recreating the iconic "I'm flying" bow scene from the record-breaking film.

Debating who should take on which role, Beatty asked, “I would love, will you be my Rose?” Barrymore quickly agreed: “I would love to be your Rose to your Jack Dawson.”

With the studio screen shifting to an expansive ocean backdrop featuring the ship's bow, Beatty took position behind the host, wrapping her arms around Barrymore’s waist as Barrymore outstretched her arms.

Wrapping the show on a high note, Barrymore gave Beatty's latest project a plug while staying in character: “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is streaming now on Netflix. Get it while it’s hot! Ella Beatty, where have you been all my life?”

While Beatty's belief may seem a little unorthodox, she isn't the first person to be convinced they were on board the doomed ocean liner in a former life.

A young Wisconsin boy who suffered from an intense fear of water and debilitating night terrors baffled his family after accurately detailing obscure structural flaws on the Titanic, leading his parents to believe he was reincarnated from the doomed vessel's chief designer.

The unusual case of Jamey, which was documented in the LMN series The Ghost Inside My Child, began long before he ever watched James Cameron's iconic 1997 film.

According to his mother, Jamey was typically an easygoing, inquisitive toddler, but harbored a debilitating phobia of swimming pools. While the rest of the household swam comfortably, Jamey refused to step beyond the pool stairs, panicking violently whenever relatives attempted to carry him into the deep end.

His sister, Teal, a forensic psychologist, was later left unnerved when Jamey casually described watching their mother ride a small blue three-wheeled bicycle down the street decades before he was born.

When asked how he could have witnessed a private childhood moment that had never been photographed or spoken about, Jamey simply replied: "There's windows in heaven, Mama."

The situation escalated dramatically after a babysitter allowed a five-year-old Jamey to watch the second half of the Titanic film. Rather than focusing on the cinematic romance, Jamey became obsessively fixated on the ship's anatomy. Within two weeks, the young boy produced approximately 50 intricate drawings, including cutaway cross-sections of the vessel's internal decks and sketches containing more than 100 windows.

Beyond the drawings, his mother noted that Jamey began weeping over technical construction details, insisting builders had mistakenly chosen iron over steel. He was notably distraught over the deaths of boiler room workers, crying as if he bore personal responsibility for their entrapment.