Child Actor Who Played Little Boy In Titanic Still Getting Paid 25 Years Later

A child actor who starred in Titanic is still getting paid 25 years after the movie premiered, and he's revealed how much he's earnt from the role.

Reece Thompson, 30, played the part known as the 'Irish little boy' in the hit 1997 Hollywood blockbuster 25 years ago.

His part involved playing a third-class child passenger who dies along with his mother and sister after the notorious iceberg sinks the 'unsinkable' ship.

Paramount

One of the scenes Reece appears in shows a large group of passengers waiting for the third-class gate for the lifeboats to open, in which Reece's character is seen alongside his character's mother and sister

But the family of three never make it to one of the lifeboats, as the camera later shows them dead in their cabin.

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Thompson's role was small and relatively insignificant to the film's plot, but highlighted the plight of many poor passengers on board the Titanic.

Reece claims to remember only a little from his time on-set for the film, but each year a royalty cheque for a small sum reminds him in the Oscar-winning film.

He says his talent agent offered his mother two options: either star in an ad for a petrol station, or take a small part in 'a major motion picture'.

The ad was the safer option.

Paramount

However, Reece's mother decided to put her child forward for the role in Titanic - now the third highest-grossing film of all time.

Reece told Business Insider back in 2018: "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."

Paramount

The cheques that arrive each year add up to more than you might expect for such a minor part.

"It's weird because it's not present in my mind anymore," Reece said. "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.'

"There have been a couple of times where it's been like: 'Oh, wow, that's a $250 check.'

"But hopefully, they keep playing it a lot because that means more money for me."

Charlie Metcalfe

Charlie is a freelance features journalist with articles on BBC News and in The Telegraph. He covers any story that piques his interest.

@cafmetcalfe