14 Famous Actors Who Played for Well Below Average Fees

For most people, the life of a famous actor seems like a luxury: they earn a lot of money being loved for what they do. However, there are celebrities who have acted in exchange for modest fees or, sometimes, even for free. Some were attracted by a decent plot and a good team, while others accepted the proposal to work in unfavorable conditions and thus pave the way for multimillion-dollar contracts.

We, from incredible.clubwith the help of a calculator, we checked which stars and movie stars, at some point in their career, received surprisingly low pay for their work.

Jim Carrey’s presence in a movie certainly means moments of good laughs and fun for viewers. But at the beginning of his career, the comedian was subject to very modest salaries. His performance in the production of Ace Ventura — A Different Detective earned the actor just $350,000. The film was a success, and Jim Carrey gained popularity. For his performance in Debi & Loide — Dois Idiotas em Apuro and O Pentelho, the actor received much more: seven million and 20 million dollars, respectively.

It was the third work of Julia Roberts in the cinema, and its release took place two years before the release of the legendary Pretty Woman (by the way, the role of Vivian did not bring her much money either). The film tells the story of three charming waitresses at a pizzeria in Connecticut. By the way, for this production, the actress had to dye her blonde hair a darker tone. Julia Roberts was paid $50,000 to act in this romantic comedy, a low amount by Hollywood standards.

The actors listed above were content with modest fees because they were at the beginning of their careers. But with Jennifer Lopez it was different, as she didn’t receive a penny for her performance, despite her already being famous. In 2019, she acted for free in the film As Golpistas, in which she played the stripper Ramona Vega. She was drawn to the plot and was also a producer on the film. Her desire was to show that women can make good films (the cast and crew included many).

Jennifer Aniston is a constant figure in the ranking of the highest paid actresses in the world. Upon receiving one million dollars for each episode of the final season of Friends, she earned her place in the Guinness Book of Records. But during the filming of the first season of the series, the actress still did not count on such an impressive salary, she received only 22.5 thousand dollars per episode.

The famous TV presenter Oprah Winfrey shone in Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple, in which she played a housewife named Sophia. During filming she feared being fired, however, the film earned her an Oscar nomination in the category of Best Supporting Actress and… a small fee of 35 thousand dollars.

Israeli model Gal Gadot has been acting in films since 2009, and many people know her as the superheroine Wonder Woman. The film made more than 800 million dollars, however, the protagonist Gal Gadot only received 300 thousand dollars.

We can say that a shy fee for someone who plays a superhero role is not uncommon. Thus, Chris Evans, who played the protagonist hero in Captain America: The First Avenger, earned the same as Gal Gadot, 300 thousand dollars. The success in these films is considered to be due to the brand and not to the participation of a particular actor. After the box office success of Captain America: The First Avenger, the actor’s fees began to grow. For example, to play the same character, but in the movie Avengers: Endgame, Chris Evans received much more: 15 million dollars.

The actress, who played Rey in the Star Wars sequels, can’t boast of getting a hefty paycheck either. Before starring in the first part of the franchise, which received the title Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Daisy Ridley starred in the horror film Scrawl, and also took part in a couple of short films. The fee for participating in Star Wars was not announced, but it must have been between 100 and 300 thousand dollars.

John Boyega, Daisy Ridley’s partner in the trilogy, received to participate in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the same salary as the actress. Harrison Ford, on the other hand, much more famous and experienced, earned from 10 to 20 million dollars acting in the same film.

Lindsay Lohan saw her career take off between the 1990s and 2000s. She gained fame and an impressive amount of money with the teen comedies Operation Cupid and Mean Girls, among others. But, after a few years, her career started to decline, and she decided to take a break. In 2013, Lindsay Lohan acted in the independent production Vale do Pecado for a fee of six thousand dollars. The recording lasted 23 days. In the same year, the actress received 200 thousand dollars for a special participation in the fifth part of Everybody in Panic.

In 2013, the actor accepted the proposal to star practically for free in a low-budget horror film. Recalling the shoot, he stated: “We had no private trailer, no driver. Just a good character and a decent director.” In the end, the bill went over budget dozens of times over, so Ethan Hawke wasn’t offended by his fee.

Jon Voight is known not only as the father of Angelina Jolie, but also as an excellent actor. In 1969, he offered to act in the drama Perdidos na Noite without receiving anything, believing that the film would reveal his talent. And it really revealed: the production was his gateway to the film industry and, in addition, it earned him 17 thousand dollars.

In 2016, Ben Affleck’s younger brother won the coveted Oscar for Best Actor. It was Lee Chandler’s role in the drama Manchester by the Sea that won him the award. With that work, Casey Affleck was only 400 thousand dollars richer, despite the great success of the film that raised 79 million dollars, in addition to praise from critics.

Kerry Washington’s salary was $250,000 per episode of the series, which doesn’t seem to be very low since that figure adds up to a total of $4.5 million per season. However, when we compare it with the salary of his professional colleagues, we realize that it is not an impressive amount. For example, the actresses of the series Gilmore Girls received 750 thousand dollars per episode.

Who is your favorite actor or actress? Which movie with him/her do you like the most and why?