There are tons of actors who have been willing to compromise their salary for films that they genuinely believe in and want to continue to be a part of. Sometimes being a part of a passion project is more important than disputing over money.
Here are 15 actors who took a pay cut in order to get their projects made.
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1. Will Smith
Will Smith helped contribute to replenishing the cost of King Richard’s lost theatrical returns out of his own pocket after WarnerMedia released the film simultaneously to theaters and streaming services.
2. Jonah Hill
Jonah Hill agreed to be in Wold of Wall Street for just $60,000 in exchange for a chance to work alongside director, Martin Scorsese.
“I would sell my house and give him all my money to work for him…I would have done anything in the world. I would do it again in a second. This isn’t about money. You should do things that you care about,” he told Howard Stern.
3. Chadwick Boseman
When the studio behind 21 Bridges , refused to meet Sienna Miller’s salary expectations, the late and beloved Black Panther actor, Chadwick Boseman, donated a portion of his own salary to keep her on the project.
4. Emma Stone
Emma hasn’t disclosed any names, but she told Out , that she has “needed [her] male costars to take a pay cut so that [she] may have parity with them.”
“And that’s something they do for me because they feel it’s what’s right and fair. That’s something that’s also not discussed, necessarily — that our getting equal pay is going to require people to selflessly say, ‘That’s what’s fair.'”
5. Kristen Stewart
After the budget for Kristen’s film On the Road took a significant budget cut, she agreed to still be in the film for $200,000. FYI, that’s just 1% of what she was paid to be a part of Breaking Dawn . She revealed to the Hollywood Reporter that she agreed to the salary cut because of how invested she was in her character. “There is something scary and unpredictable and animalistic about Marylou,” she told the Hollywood Reporter .
6. Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, and Will Ferrell
This goes without saying, but Anchorman was kind of iconic. So naturally, the entire cast was thrilled when Anchorman 2 was underway. So excited in fact, that they were all willing to take pay cuts in order to secure the film being made.
7. Amitabh Bachchan
Bollywood star Amitabh volunteered to work for free on the film Black so that he would have the opportunity to work with the filmmaker , Sanjay Leela Bhansali. “Just being a part of such an enterprise was sufficient,” he said.
8. Jack Black
For Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny , Jack Black agreed to reduce his asking price significantly from $12 million to just $1 million, which he then split with his costar, Kyle Gass. The two also split 10% of the film’s gross revenues.
9. Christopher Lee
The late Christopher Lee revealed that his favorite film he was ever in, The Wicker Man , was one that he starred in for free. He also financed his own promotional tour following its release.
10. Kate Winslet and Ewan McGregor
Both Kate Winslet and Ewan McGregor agreed to compromise their seven-figure salaries and instead, accept just above the union minimum rate so they could both act in East of Harlem .
Unfortunately, the film never made it into production.
11. George Clooney
George Clooney struggled to find a studio that wanted to bring Good Night, and Good Luck , to life, until he decided he would do it himself. He financed the entire film by mortgaging his home and paid himself a $1 salary to direct, write, and act in the movie.
12. Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds paid out of his own pocket to ensure that Deadpool screenwriters, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, could be on set every day during filming and production after the studio responsible for the film’s production, Fox, refused to pay them.
13. Keanu Reeves
Keanu, being the literal angel that he is, agreed to take a pay cut for the greater good of the film, The Devil’s Advocate, so that the studio would be able to afford to bring on Al Pacino as well.
14. Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, and Kunal Nayyar
The main cast members of Big Bang Theory each gave up $100,000 per episode as a way to support Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch’s negotiations for equal pay and ensure that they make as much as the rest of the cast.
