When you think of Hollywood stars, it’s a misconception that huge paychecks come with every role. Some roles have the potential to earn millions, while others can be pennies on the dollar. Here’s a look at actors who had the biggest and smallest paydays for their work on set:
1.
To start, Julia Roberts became the first woman to earn a $20 million salary for her Oscar-winning role in Erin Brockovich.
2.
Jennifer Lopez didn’t get a paycheck upfront for Hustlers. “I did it for free and produced it,” she said. “Like Jenny From the Block — I do what I love.”
4.
Jonah Hill was paid $60,000 for The Wolf of Wall Street, which met the Screen Actors Guild’s minimum requirements. Meanwhile, his costar Leonardo DiCaprio received $10 million for his leading role.
5.
Demi Moore became the highest paid female actor in the world when she made $12.5 million for Striptease.
6.
Harrison Ford only earned $10,000 for his iconic role as Han Solo in Star Wars: A New Hope.
7.
Margot Robbie reportedly earned $50 million in salary and box office bonuses for her starring role in Barbie.
8.
Jeff Daniels was paid $50,000 for Dumb and Dumber while his costar Jim Carrey walked away with $7 million.
9.
Sandra Bullock was paid $20 million upfront for her work in Gravity. She also secured 15% of the total box office revenue, resulting in a $70 million payday overall.
10.
Sean William Scott made $8,000 for his role as Steve Stifler in American Pie, which grossed $235 million at the global box office.
12.
Early in Brad Pitt’s acting career, he received $6,000 for his role as J.D. in Thelma & Louise.
13.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson earned $22 million for the Jungle Cruise. This is more than double what his costar Emily Blunt made.
14.
Ryan Gosling earned $1,000 per week while filming the indie film Half Nelson.
15.
Mark Wahlberg made $30 million for his role in Spenser Confidential.
16.
Hilary Swank received $3,000 for her role in Boys Don’t Cry. It paid off since she later won the Oscar for Best Actress.
17.
Johnny Depp made $265 million for his legendary role as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
18.
Believe it or not, Jon Heder only made $1,000 for his leading role in Napoleon Dynamite.
19.
Arnold Schwarzenegger only spoke around 700 words in Terminator 2: Judgement Day but made $15 million.
20.
Mel Gibson was only paid $10,000 for his starring role in Mad Max.
21.
Adam Sandler scored a whopping $62.5 million for Murder Mystery 2.
22.
Scream queen Jaime Lee Curtis earned $8,000 for the original Halloween, the start of one of the longest-running horror franchises.
23.
Will Smith earned $5 million for Men in Black. By the time Men in Black 3 debuted, his pay significantly increased to $100 million.
24.
Barkhad Abdi received a salary of $65,000 for his work in Captain Phillips.
25.
Tom Cruise made $70 million for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, with $12 million paid upfront.
26.
Sean Astin is known for his work in The Lord of the Rings, but only made $250,000 for all three movies in the trilogy. He later had to sell his house because he couldn’t afford the mortgage.
27.
Tom Hanks opted out of an upfront salary for Forrest Gump. Instead, he got a cut of the movie’s profits and was paid $60 million after the film grossed $680 million worldwide.
28.
Finally, George Clooney was reportedly paid $3 for Good Night, and Good Luck — $1 each for acting, writing, and directing. “I didn’t want to make a film that would get compromised by studio executives, so I decided to finance it myself,” he said. “It was a risk, but it felt like the right thing to do. 20 years from now, you want to be able to say to people that you stood for something besides your own career.”
Which actor were you surprised to see on this list? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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