Paramount PicturesIt was the film that propelled Leo and Kate to Hollywood royalty, but what about the rest of the ill-fated travellers aboard James Cameron’s Titanic?
Indeed, it’s easy to forget the more minor characters who provide the world-collide backdrop to the Hollywood romance; the engine room crew, the violinists, the mildly offensive Irish caricatures jigging away merrily in third class.
For instance, do you remember the ‘Irish little boy’ who drowned alongside his mother and sister in a particularly devastating scene?
Well, he is now more than wealthy enough to purchase a first class ticket aboard a luxurious Edwardian ship; ensuring he is considered important enough to be allowed a spot on an emergency lifeboat.
Paramount PicturesAlthough his real name and backstory was never given in the film, actor Reece Thompson – IRL Irish little boy – has done very well from this part, which he played at the age of just 5-years-old. Reece appears in three scenes of the classic film, with just one line of dialogue.
Over two decades later, Reece is now a 25-year-old digital marketing director for Utah based skiing and snowboarding resort in Utah Brian Head Resort.
He earned around $30,000 for his quietly tragic performance, which he has since wisely invested in education, a car, and living expenses. Reece also still collects residuals on a quarterly basis.
Speaking with Business Insider, Reece revealed he still earns around $200 to $300 each year. Not a bad little extra at all.
Reece said:
It’s weird because it’s not present in my mind anymore,
It’s not like, ‘Oh, when am I going to get a new ‘Titanic’ check?’ When it happens, it’s like, ‘Oh, cool, an extra $100.
Paramount PicturesBeginning his unique career as a child model, Reece’s turned down the chance for him to appear in a gas station advertisement to appear in what would become a monolithic hit.
Reece also offered an interesting insight into being a voyager on one of the biggest films of all time:
It turned out to be one of the highest-grossing films in history, so it’s pretty bizarre in retrospect,
My mom was like: ‘Let’s just do it. It’ll be cool. Even if the movie sucks, we’ll see it.’ Obviously, it ended up exploding, so that wasn’t a bad decision on her part, that’s for sure.
Nobody could have guessed the success of Titanic, which brought in $28.6 million during the US opening weekend alone when it was released 19 December 1997.
Reece’s mum absolutely made the right decision, even though it had seemed a risk at the time. Perhaps wisdom Rose should have taken on board before hogging that entire wardrobe to herself…
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.