A former child actor who appeared in Titanic has revealed that he's still getting paid for his minor role in the movie.
Reece Thompson, the child actor with a brief but unforgettable role in the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, says he continues to receive royalty checks for his performance, albeit with a catch.
Thompson was just five years old when he portrayed an Irish passenger on the doomed RMS Titanic in James Cameron’s epic drama.
His character, although not prominently featured, left a lasting impression on audiences during his appearance in one of the film’s most poignant scenes. Portraying a third-class passenger, Thompson, along with his on-screen sister and mother, is seen in their final moments, resigned to their fate as the ship sinks.
In the movie, Thompson asks his mother: "What are we doing, mommy?"
To which, she replies: "We’re just waiting, dear. When they finish putting first-class people in the boats, they’ll be starting with us, and we’ll want to be ready, right?"
Now, more than two decades later, Thompson shared with Australia’s Studio 10 that he still benefits financially from his short stint in Titanic.
"Yeah, I still do [receive royalty checks], it’s true," Thompson admitted. However, he confessed to not having cashed any recent checks due to a change in address and not updating his details for several years.
"I haven’t updated my address in several years, honestly since the last time I got interviewed for this," he said. "So, I haven’t seen them [the cheques] in a few years so I’m just assuming that they are still coming."
Despite moving on from his acting career, Thompson, now a digital marketing director in Utah, still finds himself often reminiscing about his role in Titanic. "My wife and I mostly just get a kick out of the comments," he said, expressing amusement over the public’s continued interest. "They are mostly just interesting to read, but yeah, it feels like a dream it was so long ago.
"Any number of different things [are said]. Honestly, some of the comments just can’t believe [the payments are] still happening 25 years later. Now people are beginning to associate my face with it. Before it was a random fact about me. Yeah, it’s kind of weird."
Interestingly, Thompson, who is not Irish, improvised an Irish accent for his role. He recalled: "I didn’t know what an Irish accent was at all... so I just did as best as I could with what they gave me." This anecdote highlights the unpredictability and charm of child acting in Hollywood, where the casting decisions and performances can hinge on spontaneous choices -- and raw talent, of course.
