Leonardo DiCaprio was 22 years old when he played the role of Jack Dawson in Titanic. The epic romance-disaster film directed by James Cameron was released in 1997. DiCaprio turned 23 later that year shortly after the film premiered.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Age in Titanic
In Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio played the role of a young poor artist named Jack Dawson who wins tickets onto the ill-fated maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic ship in 1912. His character Jack boards the ship with his friend Fabrizio after winning tickets in a poker game.
On the ship, Jack meets and falls in love with the beautiful first class passenger Rose DeWitt Bukater, played by Kate Winslet. Their forbidden love affair is central to the film’s storyline.
When filming began in 1996, DiCaprio was 22 years old, a young rising star who had earned an Oscar nomination for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. James Cameron handpicked DiCaprio for the role of Jack Dawson, impressed by his youthful good looks and immense talent.
DiCaprio turned 23 in November 1996 while Titanic was still in production. By the time the film premiered in December 1997, DiCaprio was nearing 24 years old. However, his exact age in the role of Jack is 22 since that’s how old the actor was during filming.
Age Difference between Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in Titanic
Kate Winslet was 20 years old when she was cast as the lead female role of Rose DeWitt Bukater in Titanic. She was born in 1975 while DiCaprio was born in 1974.
There was approximately a 3 year age gap between Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio during the filming of Titanic in 1996. Winslet was 21 years old and DiCaprio was 22 when they brought Jack and Rose’s passionate romance to life on screen.
Their characters also had an age gap in the film’s storyline. Rose was meant to be around 17 years old in the film as a young woman of high society ready for marriage. Meanwhile, Jack Dawson was portrayed as a 20 year old poor artist exploring life and love.
The minor age gap between the two young actors aided their chemistry as the star-crossed lovers. Their youth and vibrant energy helped make the romance feel authentic and magical on screen.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Age in Other Movies
Besides Titanic, some other memorable movies featuring Leonardo DiCaprio as a young actor include:
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
In 1993 at age 19, DiCaprio received widespread critical acclaim and his first Oscar nomination for playing a mentally disabled teenager in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape opposite Johnny Depp.
Romeo and Juliet
In 1996 at age 22, DiCaprio starred in Baz Luhrmann’s modernized Romeo + Juliet as Shakespeare’s iconic young lover Romeo Montague.
Through much of the 1990s, DiCaprio consistently took on roles portraying youthful characters that aligned with his own age at the time. This allowed him to convincingly portray the ups and downs of adolescent life on screen.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Current Age
As of 2023, Leonardo DiCaprio is now 48 years old. He was born on November 11, 1974.
DiCaprio is still going strong as an actor, producer and environmental activist. He has been nominated for 7 Academy Awards over his career, winning one Oscar for Best Actor for his performance as a fur trapper in The Revenant.
Some recent films featuring DiCaprio include Don’t Look Up, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and The Wolf of Wall Street. He re-teamed with director Martin Scorsese for many of these projects.
At 48, DiCaprio continues taking on challenging, complex roles that represent his maturity and experience. But for many fans, he’ll always be remembered best as the passionate, energetic Jack Dawson in 1997’s Titanic when he was just 22 years young.
Conclusion
In the epic blockbuster Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio brought the character of Jack Dawson to life at the age of 22. Though a decade has passed since the film’s release, fans still vividly remember his youthful exuberance and chemistry with co-star Kate Winslet in the timeless film. DiCaprio’s performance as the penniless young artist Jack remains an iconic role from his early film career that cemented his status as a leading man. His age while filming allows viewers to truly believe in Jack and Rose’s whirlwind romance aboard the doomed luxury liner.
