When you’re rich and famous and in demand , the world operates a little bit differently than it does for us normal folks. Along the way, celebs have to sign the occasional contract — contracts where they’re largely free to set their own terms and conditions.
So what’s in these rarified celebrity contracts? As it turns out, all kinds of weird contractually-stipulated demands.
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Samuel L. Jackson
Even though he’s getting on in years, Samuel L. Jackson has consistently been one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars over the past 25 years. He’s at the point in his career where he can turn down roles he doesn’t want, and also where he can sign contracts that allow him to play golf twice a week .
Barbra Streisand
The namesake of the Streisand Effect, Barbra Streisand has a reputation as a bit of a diva. Her contractual demand that any bathrooms she uses have to have peach-hued toilet paper to mirror her complexion, along with rose petals in the toilets, only adds to that perception.
Lindsay Lohan
When Lohan took on a role in The Canyons , she had to sign a contract that compelled her to appear in a four-way sex scene in the film. She was game to shoot the scene, but asked the production crew to strip down along with her.
Steve McQueen
Always known as more of an action star, McQueen evidently had a bit of an inferiority complex with his The Towering Inferno co-star Paul Newman. To remedy this, McQueen demanded that his dialogue be expanded so it was equal to Newman’s lines.
Uma Thurman
Have you ever feared that you’re missing out on something better? Uma Thurman clearly has. Her contract for Eloise in Paris , a film that never got made, required her dressing room be better than anybody else’s dressing room.
Will Ferrell
Ferrell is apparently committed to being just as goofy off-camera as he is on-camera. His Semi-Pro rider called for , uh, a 6-foot-high set of stairs on wheels, a big fake tree on wheels, and a rainbow on wheels.
Tom Cruise
Movies can get disastrous when there are too many cooks in the kitchen. Tom Cruise reportedly requires personal screenwriters , in addition to a film’s actual screenwriters, to ensure that his lines meet his high standards. This is reportedly why The Mummy was a commercial and critical failure.
George Clooney
We all remember Gravity as a thrilling movie, but it wasn’t thrilling enough for its star, George Clooney. To stave off boredom while they were shooting, Clooney required a house to be built, along with a basketball court, for him to play around on.
Paris Hilton
The hotel heiress and early aughts icon didn’t have a big role in The Other Guys , but she certainly made it count. She was only on set for a day, but requested ‘unlimited’ live lobsters and high-end Grey Goose vodka.
Kim Basinger
Most of us are content to shower with any water that’s warm and clean, but Kim Basinger takes things a step further. She reportedly requires authentic Evian water to be stocked so she can shower with it instead of any old tap water.
Will Smith
Will Smith had a hilariously opulent, cyberpunk-looking metal trailer parked in Manhattan while he shot Men in Black 3 . That wasn’t the only trailer he asked for either, as he also requested a separate trailer just to store his workout equipment in.
Eddie Murphy
Plenty of people are particular about their underwear, and Eddie Murphy is no exception. According to reports , Murphy likes to wear a new pair of underwear and socks every day he’s filming. He requires the tags to still be on to prove that they’re truly new pairs.
Dolph Lundgren
Lundgren was still learning on the job when he shot Masters of the Universe , as it was only his third movie role. While producers were eager to overdub any lines he flubbed, Lundgren had a contractual stipulation that he be allowed to try a scene three times before his dialogue was dubbed over.
Julianna Margulies
Margulies wanted her role in The Good Wife to be distinct from her prior role in ER . To accomplish this, she required in her contract that she be allowed to wear a wig for her role as Alicia Florrick in The Good Wife .
Roger Moore
Have you ever wondered why Roger Moore’s James Bond seemed to spend more time puffing on cigars than he did doing actual 007 stuff? That might be because his contract allowed him access to unlimited Montecristo cigars while on set.
Quvenzhané Wallis
Following her breakout role in Beasts of the Southern Wild , Wallis was free to make all sorts of demands for her next role. Those came in the form of unlimited wi-fi in her trailer and the right to choose which of her bloopers could be shown in the film’s blooper reel.
Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah’s character dies towards the end of Set if Off . This is standard fare for actors, but she wasn’t a fan. So moving forward, she required that any character she played in any film would not be killed off.
Jack Nicholson
The screen legend is enjoying a well-deserved retirement, but while he was still working, his contracts had some interesting demands. He was allowed to take time off from shooting Batman so he could still watch Lakers games from his customary courtside seat.
Mark Wahlberg
Wahlberg was the first choice to play the role that eventually went to Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook , and his contract had a weird clause that would give him $900,000 if the female lead of the movie dropped out of the role. Of course, both Wahlberg and the original female lead, Anne Hathaway, gave way to Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.
Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, and Vin Diesel
If you ever doubted that these Fast stars were competitive, check this out: they had a unique contract drawn up for the trio that required each star to receive an equal amount of pain in the movie, also ensuring that no one was seen to have lost a fight.
