With the release of Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio's star-making role as Jack Dawson captured hearts around the world, prompting the question of how old he was at the time and how did that compare to Jack's age. An epic disaster film about the real-life sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the 1997 romantic adventure movie made household names of DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as the ill-fated couple Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater. Titanic was an instant global smash, becoming the highest-grossing movie ever at that time. The film won numerous accolades and is still one of the most successful movies at the box office as the third highest-grossing movie in the world.
Directed by the famed James Cameron, Titanic had overwhelmingly critical and commercial success. It became the first film to earn more than $1 billion worldwide at the box office and held the record for highest-grossing movie ever until Cameron's Avatar claimed the title. As the most expensive movie ever made at that time, many Hollywood insiders believed the film would be a box office failure. The film was drastically over budget, and production was excruciating, with many actors suffering injuries or falling ill. Cameron was also known to have a temper on set. Not only did the film exceed box office expectations, however, but Titanic went on to win 11 out of the 14 Academy Awards for which it was nominated, including Best Picture. This could be thanks to DiCaprio's performance as the young artist that stole Rose's heart.
Jack Was 20-Years-Old In Titanic - And Leonardo DiCaprio Was 21
Many of the actors in Titanic portrayed a character similar to their own age, though a number of Titanic characters, like Jack Dawson, were fictional. When the film began production during the summer of 1996, Leonardo DiCaprio, who was born on November 11, 1974, was only 21. His character, Jack Dawson, was a 20-year-old artist that never managed to live in one place for too long. By the time the film was released in December 1997, the actor had just turned 22, being the perfect age to play the youthful Jack.
Leonardo DiCaprio's Post-Titanic Career Explained
Surprisingly, Leonardo DiCaprio initially did not want to star in Titanic due to the fact that he had just starred in the romance film Romeo + Juliet and didn't want to be in back-to-back romance movies as he was worried about becoming known as a heartthrob actor and nothing more. The actor's eventual decision to star in the film earned him numerous critical acclaim despite being famously snubbed at the 1998 Academy Awards. Since then, Leonardo DiCaprio has starred in acclaimed movies such as The Aviator and The Departed.
Today, Leonardo DiCaprio is regarded as one of the greatest actors of his generation. Well-known for portraying real-life figures or characters who die, DiCaprio's Oscar-winning role for portraying Hugh Glass in The Revenant in 2016 finally came after receiving multiple other nominations dating back to 1994. After becoming one of the youngest actors to receive an Academy Award nomination, even before starring in Titanic, it took the actor over 20 years to achieve the coveted award. At his current age of 47, the Oscar-winning actor shows no signs of slowing down and will continue to live on as one of the greatest actors in Hollywood.