Looking back, 'Titanic' is definitely considered one of the best films to come out of the '90s and perhaps of all -time, at least from a box-office point of view. To this day, the film is still in the top five in terms of box office revenue generated with over $2.1 billion made. Leonardo DiCaprio ended up cashing in quite nicely and that was all thanks to a certain clause in his contract.
Leo made a base of $2.5 million which was accompanied by a 1.8% share of the gross revenue backend points. Ultimately, he walked away from the film a very rich man, making $40 million. He made good use of the money, as we'll delve into throughout the article. However, little do fans know, it took some convincing to take the role in the first place.
Jack Wasn't Complex
It might be hard to believe but according to Rae Sanchini alongside E!, he admits it took a lot of convincing on his part, along with James Cameron. The Executive Producer made mention that Kate Winslet was always onboard, but Leo had his doubts, "He always played very complicated characters who have very deep flaws," notes Sanchini. And after starring in films like Romeo + Juliet, The Basketball Diaries and What's Eating Gilbert Grape, for which he earned his first Oscar nomination, playing Jack "almost seemed, I think when he first looked at it, too easy. Jim would be the first to tell you," Sanchini says. "It's like, 'I interviewed Leo for 15 minutes, and he interviewed me for three months!'"
Realizing that Jack Dawson was a complex character changed everything for Leo, "I think the hardest thing with Leo was convincing him that there was complexity in Jack Dawson," Sanchini says. "Because when you think about it, Jack is the purest of heart. We meet him, and he's not conflicted. He knows exactly who he is. He knows his place in the world. He's fearless...he falls in love, but he doesn't change as a person...He makes his choice to die for the woman he loves, and he's at peace with that."
He Accepted The Role But Didn't Understand How Big The Film Would Be
Ultimately, Leo said yes. He admitted alongside ABC News that he looked at the film as an experiment, alongside Kate Winslet, given all the indie films they had done at the time, "Titanic was very much an experiment for Kate Winslet and I," said DiCaprio. "We’d done all of these independent movies. I loved her as an actress and she said, 'Let’s do this together, we can do this.'” "We did it, and it became something that we could’ve never foreseen."
While shooting the film, Leo still didn't grasp the success it would eventually enjoy, "People said, 'Do you realize how big of a movie this is?' I said, 'Yeah, it’s big. It’s a big movie,'" said DiCaprio. "They’re like, 'No. No. No, it’s the biggest movie ever,' and I’m like, 'Well, what does that mean?' I knew there was an expectation of me to do a certain thing at that point, and I knew I had to get back to what my intentions were from the onset."
The part completely changed the trajectory of his career, especially from a personal standpoint, "I had forged by then exactly what type of films I wanted to do," said DiCaprio. "I used [my fame] as a blessing, to make R-rated, different kinds of movies, to throw the dice a little bit on things I wanted to act in. People would want to finance those movies now. I’d never had that, before 'Titanic.'"
Giving His Earnings To A Good Cause
Millvina Dean is an important name as she was the last survivor of the Titanic. At the time, she was living in a nursing home and the bills started to stack up. An Irish author Don Mullan decided to step in and do something about that, he started the 'Millvina Fund' which aided in her medical bills thanks to donations. According to Mullan, DiCaprio, Winslet and Cameron all stepped up, "I laid down the challenge to the 'Titanic' actors and directors to support the Millvina Fund and I was delighted with the generosity they have shown in meeting that challenge.”
The most important part was that Dean didn't have to sell her Titanic memorabilia to make ends meet, "We are delighted to officially launch the Millvina Fund today. We felt it was an important initiative after hearing from Millvina how the stress and strains of having to pay her nursing fees was forcing her to sell Titanic memorabilia to raise funds.”
Dean quietly passed away in 2009 at the age of 97.
Sources: E Online, ABS News & Irish Examiner