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Actors are known to be super rich and to live very lavish lifestyles. Private jets, vacations in the French Riviera and luxurious home weren’t easy to get. The luxury that they can now afford came along with hard work, dedication, and a lot of sacrifices. Some actors and actresses sacrificed their earnings for exposure. Here is a list of movie stars who played in iconic movies for a very small wage. Was it all worth it?
1. Tom Cruise in Magnolia ($100,000)
Tom Cruise accepted a $100,000 salary to film this movie. This is significantly lower than the 7 figure checks he usually receives. His supporting role in the movie won him his second Golden Globe award. He won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2000.
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2. Barkhad Abdi in Captain Phillips ($65,000)
Abdi just received $65,000 in a movie that cost $55 million to make. His role as a Somali pirate was critically acclaimed, helping him win one BAFTA award, an Oscar nomination, and a Golden Globe nomination in 2013. He also got an opportunity to work with Tom Hanks.
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3. Jonah Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street ($60,000)
Leonardo Di Caprio was paid $25 million for the movie, Jonah Hill only received $60 000 before commissions and taxes. Hill would have done anything to work with Martin Scorsese. Here is what Jonah said to radio personality Howard Stern: “They gave me the lowest amount of money possible, that was their offer, and I said, ‘I will sign the paper tonight. Fax me the papers tonight. I want to sign them tonight before they change their mind.” In 2013, he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
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4. Oprah Winfrey in The Color Purple ($35,000)
The iconic talk-show host earned $35,000 for her work on Spielberg’s movie. The movie grossed $200 million worldwide off a $14 million budget. Winfrey was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and 20 years later, in 2005, the film became a Broadway musical with Winfrey as a producer.Today, Oprah is worth around $3 billion.
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5. Mel Gibson in Mad Max ($10,000)
Mel Gibson played the part of Max Rockatansky when he was 21 years old. He was still a drama student. He received $10,000.
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6. Bill Murray in Rushmore ($9,000)
Wes Anderson, who was a low-profile director at the time, asked Murray for a favor to help him break out. Not only did Murray accept a wage of $9000, but according to writer Matt Zoller Seitz, when Disney refused to pay for a helicopter for a specific scene in the movie, Murray wrote Anderson a $25,000 check. Murray has appeared in every Anderson film to date.
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7. Brad Pitt in Thelma & Louise ($6,000)
Thelma & Louise is the film that first gave recognition to the superstar. For this movie, Pitt earned a check of $6,000 for his performance. Luckily, today, he makes more than $17.5 million per movie. Pitt has been cited as one of the most influential and powerful people in the American entertainment industry.
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8. Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson ($1,000 a week)
Half Nelson is an indie movie directed by Ryan Fleck. The film had a budget of $700,000. For that reason, Ryan Gosling accepted the salary of $1,000 a week. Gosling’s sacrifice paid off because he was nominated in 2006 for an Oscar for his critically acclaimed performance.
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9. Robert Downey Jr. in Game 6 ($100 a day)
Robert Downey Jr. accepted a minimal salary to make this independent film. This is quite different from the paychecks he used to cash in. The actor was paid $50 Million for playing Iron Man in The Avengers. Game 6’s filming budget was $500,000.
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10. Hilary Swank in Boys don’t Cry ($3,000)
Boys Don’t Cry is the story of a woman who wanted to live as a man. The movie cost a reported $2 million to produce, and the actress made $3000 for that role. Her salary was so low that she couldn’t even qualify for health insurance. Fortunately, her performance earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture.
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11. Jon Heder in Napoleon Dynamite ($1,000)
Jon Heder played in the movie to do a favor to his friend. The favor ultimately paid off because when the film ultimately made it to the big screens and grossed $44.5 million. This role launched Heder’s career as a comedian.
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12. George Clooney in Good Night and Good Luck ($3)
Clooney took a $3 salary to act, write and direct the movie. In 2005, the movie was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Clooney and Best Actor for David Strathairn. George Clooney apparently wanted to make the movie so bad that he mortgaged his house to finance it.
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13. Jim Carrey in Yes Man ($0 upfront)
Jim Carrey agreed to film the 2008 comedy Yes Man for $0 upfront ( which is about $20 million less than his acting price at the time). In exchange, he agreed to take 32.6 % of the film’s profits after production and marketing costs. Yes Man went on to earn over $223 million dollars at the worldwide box office, and Carrey was paid more than $30 million. Cha Ching!!!
SEE ALSO: 14 Celebrities Who Had It All And Went Bankrupt.
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