Oprah Winfrey was once just a small-time actress before she began her own talk show. In the wonderful film ‘The Color Purple' (1985), she was only paid $35,000.
He is so successful that he does not even need a salary, apparently. He received upfront $3 for his role as Fred Friendly in ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’ (2005).
For his breakout role in the film ‘The Graduate’ (1967), Hoffman was only paid $17,000. It definitely paid off, as now he is worth around $50 million.
You may not know her name, but she voices teen Elsa in the extremely popular Disney film ‘Frozen’ (2013). But she was only paid $926 for her role. The residual checks did not make too much of a difference either–they amounted to $10,000, even though the movie grossed $1.2 billion.
Sources: (Insider) (Her Moments)
For ‘Stars Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens’ (2015), these two actors were paid between $100,000 and $300,000. This is very little compared to Harrison Ford’s $20 million salary from the film.
Arquette won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in the film ‘Boyhood’ (2014). However, she said in an interview that she was paid less than she pays her babysitter.
In the film ‘Pulp Fiction’ (1994), John Travolta played one of the main characters, Vincent Vega. However, he was only paid $150,000. This is in stark contrast to the $20 million he was paid for ‘Swordfish’ (2001).
James Earl Jones is well-known as the famed voice behind Darth Vader, but a resurfaced clip from the American Film Institute reveals that director George Lucas paid him just US$7,000 for his iconic addition to the first-ever 'Star Wars' film.
Though late actor David Prowse wore the suit in 'Star Wars: A New Hope' (1977), Lucas wanted a "dark voice" and, as Jones explained it, “So he hires a guy born in Mississippi, raised in Michigan, who stutters. And that’s the voice. That’s me.”
What's funny is that when Jones was explaining how much he made for the role, he was actually just excited about it. “I lucked out, from all these so-called handicaps, for a job that paid $7,000! I thought that was good money,” Jones told AFI. “And I got to be a voice on a movie!” Of course, the franchise went on to be one of the most lucrative in history, and surely Jones raked in much more for his subsequent work.
On their way to their current fame, some stars have accepted extremely low salaries for the films that made them famous in the first place. Some have not been paid as much because of the ever-present gender pay gap. Others just wanted to make a film that had a lower budget, or it was simply their first film in the industry. No matter the reason, you will be surprised at the disparity between fame and wealth for these actors.
From John Travolta to Lindsay Lohan, click through to check out who received a surprisingly low paycheck.
All values in USD.
Stars who were paid shockingly low salaries
Celebs who got paid less than you think
CELEBRITY Income
On their way to their current fame, some stars have accepted extremely low salaries for the films that made them famous in the first place. Some have not been paid as much because of the ever-present gender pay gap. Others just wanted to make a film that had a lower budget, or it was simply their first film in the industry. No matter the reason, you will be surprised at the disparity between fame and wealth for these actors.
From John Travolta to Lindsay Lohan, click through to check out who received a surprisingly low paycheck.
All values in USD.