When Reece Thompson starred in Titanic, he was just five years old.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are probably the first people that come to mind when you think of the Titanic’s major stars.

However, what about the young Irish man? He had a brief but poignant role as a third-class passenger on the ship, you know.

The child performer who portrayed the child has revealed how much money he has earned from the classic movie, which is now almost 26 years old.

At the age of five, Reece Thompson made an appearance in the 1997 Hollywood film.

His character, who we see ready to board a lifeboat with his mother and sister at one point, obviously didn’t have a good ending.

However, the three of them are later depicted in their cabin, sadly dead.

Although Thompson’s part in the Titanic story wasn’t particularly important, it did bring to light the terrible reality of the actual impoverished passengers.

Although Reece says he doesn’t recall much of his time on set, the Oscar-winning movie remembers him every year with a royalty check for a little amount.

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.

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 mum 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.”

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.”