Leo Made HOW Much More Than Kate for 'Titanic'?
Leonardo DiCaprio is widely considered to be one of the best actors of his generation, but he’s also one of the wealthiest. After starring in some of the biggest movies of the 1990s and 2000s—including Titanic, Inception and The Departed—DiCaprio has amassed quite the net worth for himself.
While he regularly scores $20 million and $30 million paychecks, he still tries to give some of his riches to the charitable causes he supports. DiCaprio has long been one of the most passionate climate-change activists in Hollywood, working with organizations like the World Wildlife Fund and Re:wild to ensure that our planet survives long past his next collaboration with Martin Scorsese.
“I’ve had two great passions in my life. That has been acting, and the protection of the natural world and getting the message out about the climate crisis,” DiCaprio told Deadline in early 2022. “There are massive industries that are polluting our atmosphere, and the private sector needs to step the hell up. Our governments, the governments of the world, need to work together as one communal species and we need to evolve as a species to tackle this issue.”
He’s not wrong, but while the species is evolving, keep reading to find out how DiCaprio made his millions.
Related: Take a Closer Look at Leonardo DiCaprio's Dating History
How did Leonardo DiCaprio get famous?
Before he was one of Hollywood’s most bankable actors, Leonardo DiCaprio was just a preternaturally talented child star, appearing on Roseanne and The Mickey Mouse Club before landing the role of Luke on Growing Pains. It wasn’t long until he moved up to the big leagues, earning his first Oscar nomination at age 19 for 1993’s What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.
From there, DiCaprio became one of the biggest heartthrobs of the 1990s, starring in The Basketball Diaries, Romeo + Juliet, and, of course, Titanic. While Oscar success eluded him until 2016, he gradually built up one of the most impressive resumés in Hollywood, starring in well-respected dramas and action films and establishing a years-long work relationship with Martin Scorsese. While DiCaprio takes fewer film roles than he used to, the ones he does choose always make a splash (and if we’re lucky, they become memes).
What is Leonardo DiCaprio's net worth?
Leonardo DiCaprio’s net worth is reportedly a whopping $300 million, thanks mostly to the giant salaries he earns for films like Inception, Don’t Look Up and Blood Diamond. That said, he’s also pocketed a hefty chunk of change for his endorsements. He’s previously been a face of Tag Heuer watches, and he’s appeared in Jim Beam ads in Japan.
Is Leonardo DiCaprio the highest paid actor in Hollywood?
At the moment, Leonardo DiCaprio is not the highest paid actor in Hollywood (that would be Tom Cruise), but it’s an honor he’s held before—and his current position at No. 3 is not too shabby. In 2011, DiCaprio topped the list of highest paid actors thanks to his role in Inception, which earned him more than $50 million in box-office returns. Ten years later, he was fifth on the list of highest paid actors, taking home $30 million for Don’t Look Up, while Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson came in first place with earnings of $42 million.
How much did Leo get paid for Titanic?
20th Century-Fox/Getty Images
Leonardo DiCaprio earned an initial salary of $2.5 million for Titanic, which seems kind of low for a movie that cost $200 million to make and eventually raked in more than $2 billion at the box office. DiCaprio, however, was a smart cookie, realizing at the ripe old age of 21 that he should negotiate a cut of the backend. That decision made him an additional $40 million, or about 16 times his original salary.
Who got paid the most in Titanic?
Leonardo DiCaprio made significantly more money on Titanic than his co-star Kate Winslet. While an exact number is hard to come by, Winslet reportedly made $2 million for her turn as Rose DeWitt Bukater—$500,000 less than DiCaprio made as Jack Dawson. Winslet, however, seemingly didn’t negotiate a backend cut, so she never got the $40 million bonus that her counterpart did. All told, it appears Leo made $40.5 million more than Kate for the movie that made them both superstars.
Related: Who Were the Real Titanic Survivors and What Happened to Them After They Were Rescued?
How much did Leo get paid for The Wolf of Wall Street?
Paramount Pictures
Stockbroker Jordan Belfort is one of DiCaprio’s most famous roles, but it was not one of his most lucrative. He initially negotiated a $25 million paycheck for the 2013 film, but that rate included his fee as a producer. He also reportedly deferred some of his salary after the production went over budget, ultimately taking home around $10 million. His co-star Jonah Hill, meanwhile, was paid $60,000 for his turn as Donnie Azoff.
Who got paid more for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: Brad Pitt or Leonardo DiCaprio?
Andrew Cooper/Sony Pictures
In a rare case of Hollywood pay parity, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio were each paid $10 million for their respective roles as Cliff Booth and Rick Dalton in Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. They also both earned Oscar nominations for their work, but only one of them—Pitt—took home the prize. (DiCaprio won an Oscar in 2016 for wrestling a bear in The Revenant.)
Related: All of Quentin Tarantino's Movies, Ranked
What did Leo get paid for Inception?
Warner Bros.
Inception is reportedly DiCaprio’s highest paid role to date. At that point in his career, DiCaprio was making around $20 million per movie, but he agreed to take a pay cut in exchange for “first dollar gross points,” meaning he earned a percentage of ticket sales after the film made back his initial salary in box-office receipts. All told, he earned around $60 million for the Christoper Nolan movie, which raked in $836 million at the box office. To quote Tom Hardy’s character, Eames: You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.
How much did Netflix pay Leo for Don't Look Up?
Niko Tavernise / Netflix
As a Netflix production, Don’t Look Up didn’t have a traditional theater release, so DiCaprio negotiated a hefty salary up front, reportedly earning $30 million for his role in the 2021 movie. His co-star Jennifer Lawrence, meanwhile, made only $25 million, but she later said she was fine with the pay gap in this particular instance. “Look, Leo brings in more box office than I do. I’m extremely fortunate and happy with my deal,” she told Vanity Fair. “But in other situations, what I have seen—and I’m sure other women in the workforce have seen as well—is that it’s extremely uncomfortable to inquire about equal pay. And if you do question something that appears unequal, you’re told it’s not gender disparity but they can’t tell you what exactly it is.”
What's Leo making for Killers of the Flower Moon?
According to Variety, DiCaprio will make $30 million for Killers of the Flower Moon, his latest collaboration with Martin Scorsese. While Apple is producing the movie, it will still have a traditional theatrical release before it hits streaming services.
Next, Everything You Need to Know About Killers of the Flower Moon