You might know the old custom of christening a boat’s maiden voyage by smashing a bottle on its hull. Zapp does so to the Titanic, only he doesn’t use a bottle, but the jar holding DiCaprio’s head. There’s a close-up of the jar, lingering about a second to make the joke clear, as Zapp’s assistant Kif hands it off to his captain. Zapp then throws it at the hull, shattering it as DiCaprio’s head bounces away like a ball.
Co-creator David X. Cohen pointed out DiCaprio’s appearance and then said “take that!” in the commentary track, implying the cameo was some petty revenge for DiCaprio saying no. What would the cameo have been like if the actor agreed to a guest appearance? Groening said they specifically asked DiCaprio to appear in “this scene,” so it probably would’ve been similar. Leo would’ve just gotten a sentence or two in before Zapp smashed his jar; the scene as is relies on his animated facial expressions to convey his reactions.
Could a future DiCaprio “Futurama” cameo be in the cards? Leo is no less the star today than he was when he starred in “Titanic.” However, “Futurama” turns 25 in 2024, so the window of his interest is slim.
“Futurama” is streaming on Hulu.