Actors Who Got Paid Way Too Low For These Iconic Roles
Published on January 5, 2020
As innocent moviegoers, our job is to sit back, relax, and enjoy the film playing in front of us (whilst munching on our way-too-buttered popcorn). We’re not meant to worry about how much the actors are getting paid, or whether or not they’re getting the credit they deserve. We assume that when an actor puts on a memorable performance, they’re probably getting paid accordingly. However, these actors’ salaries were so low that we couldn’t help but raise our eyebrows.
Gal Gadot – Wonder Woman
Gal Gadot was relatively unknown when she originally got cast as Wonder Woman. But after shining brightly as the DC Comics superheroine, she became a household name in Hollywood. That being said, she may have gotten a bit shortchanged with her salary of $300,000.
Alright, that might sound like a pretty hefty sum of money for most people – but compared to the astounding $821 million in profits Wonder Woman made, we can’t help but feel like Gadot should’ve gotten more. Having portrayed the lead role, it can be reasonably deduced that a lot of the movie’s success was thanks to her.
Sean Astin – The Lord of the Rings
Frodo and Sam had to overcome orcs, ring wraiths, and all kinds of foul creatures on their quest to deliver the Ring of Power to Mount Doom. Their road was long and perilous, so you’d at least expect that Sean Astin, the one who portrayed Sam, to be paid handsomely.
Well, his payday was actually astonishingly low at first. His contract was only worth $250,000, which isn’t much compared to the $871.5 million all three films grossed in the box office. However, it should be noted that upon the trilogy’s success, he received a nice bonus (along with the rest of his co-stars).
Jonah Hill – The Wolf of Wall Street
An actor of Jonah Hill’s pedigree could’ve made a lot more than $60,000 for appearing on The Wolf of Wall Street, but he had his reasons for taking a pay cut. The film was being directed by the legendary Martin Scorsese, and Hill was willing to sacrifice millions of dollars just to be involved.
Even the roles of supporting characters in Scorsese films are highly coveted, so this was his way of separating himself from the pack. We’re happy he did, because Hill was brilliant as the eccentric Donnie Azoff, who eggs on Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jordan Belfort through the corrupt New York stock market.
