Show Me The Money
While most actors would love to only work on projects they are passionate about, sometimes the decision to take a role or not comes down to one thing: the paycheck (and we aren't talking about the mediocre Ben Affleck movie from 2003).
So, which actors have admitted to saying "yes" for the cash? Some of them might surprise you.
Ben Affleck ("Paycheck")
Turns out it wasn't just a fun inside joke for movie fans in our opening paragraph. Ben Affleck actually did agree to star in Paycheck for the money. As he said in an interview when asked why he took the role: "The answer lies in the title".
Paycheck (2003) - 20 Items scene - Ben Affleck Movie, Jack Bauer & Scofield Chronicles
Harrison Ford ("The Force Awakens")
The Star Wars franchise made Harrison Ford a worldwide star and he is no doubt forever grateful for that. However, by the time they were making The Force Awakens, Ford wasn't feeling sentimental about it—but rather, realistic. "I got paid," he said on The Tonight Show.
Eddie Murphy ("Best Defence")
The fact that most people don't even remember this 1984 action comedy is probably a-okay with Eddie Murphy, who knew it was bad from the start. Murphy turned down the lead role in the movie, but Paramount wanted him so badly they offered him $1 million for just a couple weeks work.
"I want you to tell me a 22-year-old is going to turn down a million dollars for two weeks work", said Murphy.
Best Defense (1984) Official Trailer #1 - Eddie Murphy Movie HD, Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers
Rachel Zegler ("Shazam! Fury Of The Gods")
Zegler wasn't shy about admitting that her taking on the role of Anthea had nothing to do with the quality or artistic merit of the project. As she told the Hollywood Reporter at the film's premier: She said "yes" because she "needed a job".
SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS - Official Trailer 1, Warner Bros.
Stephen Dillane ("Game Of Thrones")
Given how critically acclaimed the show was, you'd think that all of the actors on Game of Thrones would've been proud and very artistically satisfied with what they did there. But not Stephen Dillane—who played Stannis Baratheon on the HBO series.
Dillane didn't really get much "professional and personal satisfaction" from the part. "Money is the main thing I got out of it," he said.
Game of Thrones - S2E1 (Recap), The TV Series Recaps
Michael Caine ("Jaws: The Revenge")
Maybe the greatest line ever by an actor who took a job just for the paycheck. When asked if he'd ever even seen Jaws: The Revenge, Michael Caine responded, "No. But I've seen the house it bought for my mum".
Jaws Attacks Michael Caine's Plane | Jaws: The Revenge | Fear, Fear: The Home Of Horror
Billy Bob Thornton ("Armageddon")
Just because an actor prioritizes a paycheck, doesn't always mean they regret doing the movie. Billy Bob Thornton agreed to be in Armageddon because he was going through a divorce and needed an influx of extra cash. However, he looks back on the experience with fondness, saying:
"I got to wear a suit and tie and spout off a bunch of lingo that I didn't know what it meant, and it was great, you know? The movie did a lot for me so I can never knock that movie… Nobody should ever knock anything you get to do in your entire business because it's not [like] workin' in a sawmill".
Steve Buscemi ("Armageddon")
It looks like Armageddon's big budget helped out a few actors who were in need of cash at the time. Besides Thornton, Steve Buscemi has also talked about how money was the overwhelming factor in his agreeing to be in the film. To put it simply, the man "wanted a bigger house".
Because I'm A Genius., Thanos of Titan (TSF)
Jeremy Irons ("Dungeons & Dragons")
Castles are expensive. So, when Jeremy Irons bought one, he "had to pay for it somehow". And along came Dungeons & Dragons.
Amanda Seyfried ("Letters To Juliet")
If you thought Hollywood actors were immune to the effects of the high prices of Manhattan real estate, you would be wrong. Thankfully, at least for Amanda Seyfried, there are rom-coms. "Sometimes, when you want to buy an apartment in Manhattan, you gotta do one or two [romantic comedies]," she has said in response to questions about her role in Letters to Juliet.
Sean Penn ("Carlito's Way")
Sean Penn liked the part and was excited to work with Al Pacino, but the money was a major factor in his saying "yes" when director Brian DePalma offered him the role in Carlito's Way. "I got a late-night call from Brian De Palma, whom I'd worked with before on Casualties of War. I needed a chunk of change—because I had a kid now and bills to pay".
Carlito Brigante And David Kleinfeld Talk - Carlito's Way (1993), MNE Clips
Glenn Close ("Guardians Of The Galaxy")
Glenn Close's true love lies in the smaller films she makes. But in order to afford those lower-paying gigs, she needs to supplement with bigger budget pictures, like Guardians of the Galaxy. "Practically speaking," she said, "it will mean that I can do those smaller movies and it'll be okay".
Guardians Of The Galaxy | The Nova Corps Thank The Guardians Scene | Disney+ [2014], TopMarvelClips
Jackie Chan ("Rush Hour")
Jackie Chan has said that he always has a purpose for every film he makes. But when it came to Rush Hour, "there was no reason [in making it], you just give me the money and I'm fine".
Funniest Rush Hour Moments?!, j3nkoo
Daniel Craig ("No Time To Die")
When Craig was done filming Spectre, he was so over the Bond thing that he said the only reason he would ever make another one would "be for the money". Well, cut to six years later and the release of No Time to Die. What do you think?
No Time To Die 2021 - Daniel Craig - James Bond 007 - Bond Makes Mathilde Breakfast, Ellis 007 Bond
Bella Thorne ("Shake It Up!")
Thorne wasn't interested in the role and didn't even want to audition for Shake It Up!. However, things were pretty dire for her family at the time: "We were living off Stouffer's coupons, and that's all we had to eat every day. That may not sound like a big deal to everybody, but when you're a single mom raising four kids with debt and you have nothing to your name, it's [really hard]".
Shake It Up | Brain It Up | Disney Channel UK, DisneyChannelUK
Tim Roth ("United Passions")
Blasted by critics as FIFA propaganda, United Passions made under $200,000 at the box office in 2015. Tim Roth isn't proud of his role as FIFA president Sepp Blatter, but he "had two kids in college, so [he] had to make a decision, and it was probably poorly judged, but once you make that decision, you have to follow through".
United Passions Official Trailer 1 (2015) - Tim Roth, Sam Neill Movie HD, Rotten Tomatoes Indie
Richard Dreyfuss ("Poseidon")
Did you know that Richard Dreyfuss retired from acting in the 2000s? So, why did he appear in 2006's Poseidon? To quote the actor himself, "Money, simple". And yes, we know he is still acting today—apparently he un-retired after this film. And there were more paycheck movies in his future, like...
Richard Dreyfuss in "Poseidon" 2006 HD Movie Trailer, DreyfussFan
Richard Dreyfuss ("Red")
"I did it for money and to work with this group of folks. I'm nothing if not honest," said Dreyfuss.
'You Got 60 Seconds to Decide' Scene | Red, All Out Action
Laurence Olivier ("Inchon")
One of the greatest actors of all time, Laurence Olivier had many brilliant and iconic performances in his career... However, playing General Douglas MacArthur in Inchon wasn't one of them. So, why did he do it? At this point, we all know the answer to that question:
"People ask me why I'm playing in this picture. The answer is simple: Money, dear boy. I'm like a vintage wine. You have to drink me quickly before I turn sour. I'm almost used up now, and I can feel the end coming. That's why I'm taking money now. I've got nothing to leave my family but the money I can make from films. Nothing is beneath me if it pays well. I've earned the right to...grab whatever I can in the time I've got left".
Inchon - Trailer 1982, Movie Trailer Archive
Gary Oldman ("RoboCop")
Sure, Oldman thought the script for the 2014 RoboCop remake was smart and he liked the director, José Padilha's point of view—but "Why am I in this movie?" Oldman said during one of the film's press junkets. "Money".
RoboCop (2014) - End This Nightmare Scene (2/10) | Movieclips, Movieclips
Morgan Freeman ("Ted 2")
Did Morgan Freeman enjoy making Ted 2? Well, as he said on The Today Show, "If it pays, I enjoy doing it". And it did pay, so there's your answer.
Morgan Freeman (Lawyer Scene) | Ted 2 (2015) | Screen Bites, Screen Bites
Morgan Freeman ("London Has Fallen")
We guess that Freeman enjoyed making London Has Fallen as well—because, as he said during a press junket for the film, "these large production action films pay well".
Jared Harris ("Morbius")
When the role of Emil Nicholas in Morbius was offered to Jared Harris he took it because, well, he had "a mortgage to pay... Sometimes you say 'yes' to things because you need to make money".
MORBIUS - Teaser Trailer (HD), Sony Pictures Entertainment
Betsy Palmer ("Friday The 13th")
Not only did Betsy Palmer (who plays Mrs Voorhees) not think that Friday the 13th was going to be a hit—she thought the script was terrible. But you know what she didn't think was terrible? The new car she wanted. "I never would have done this movie if I didn't need the ten thousand dollars... Mmm-mmm. I wouldn't have done it. No way. The universe works in mysterious ways".
Friday the 13th (1980) - Mrs. Voorhees Reveal, Dead Last Podcast
Taika Waititi ("Thor: Ragnarok", "Thor: Love And Thunder")
It wasn't an acting role, but Taika Waititi took on the role of director of a couple Thor movies—mostly for the money:
"You know what? I had no interest in doing one of those films... It wasn’t on my plan for my career as an auteur. But I was poor and I’d just had a second child, and I thought, 'You know what, this would be a great opportunity to feed these children'".
And speaking of doing it for the children...
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia Commons
Hugh Grant ("Wonka")
To say Hugh Grant didn't enjoy his time as an Oompa Loompa in Wonka might be an understatement. Working with the technology that turned him into said Oompa Loompa was not fun (but it paid well). "I couldn’t have hated the whole thing more," he said, adding that he did it because he has "lots of children and [needs] money".
Wonka | They Call Me Lofty | Warner Bros. Entertainment, Warner Bros. Entertainment
Jim Carrey ("Sonic The Hedgehog 3")
After making the first two Sonic The Hedgehog movies, Jim Carrey made it known that he was very much considering retirement. But then, there he was in Sonic The Hedgehog 3.
"I came back to this universe because I get to play a genius, which is a bit of a stretch... And you know, I bought a lot of stuff and I need the money, frankly".
Ellen Pompeo ("Grey's Anatomy")
Not from the start obviously—but the reason Pompeo stayed on Grey's for so long was, she freely admits, motivation from the money: "And so I made a decision to make money, and not chase creative acting roles. That's what, ultimately, I think, the hustler in me—l don't like chasing anything, ever. And acting to me, in my experience, was a lot of chasing".
Meredith Confronts the Doctor Who Killed Derek - Grey's Anatomy, ABC
You Might Also Like:
Married Stars Who Also Played Couples On Screen
