Stars who worked really cheaply.
Jennifer Lopez shocked fans when she revealed she didn’t make much for Hustlers – in fact, she said she basically did it for free. Playing Ramona, a savvy stripper running a con against wealthy clients, Lopez also took on the role of producer. She explained that she “banked on herself,” choosing passion for the project over a big paycheck. The gamble worked, as Hustlers became one of her most acclaimed performances. | © STX Entertainment
John Candy’s cameo in Home Alone is one of the film’s funniest moments, but he was barely paid for it. Despite being a big star at the time, he only made $414 for the role, which was almost entirely improvised. Director Chris Columbus later admitted Candy was resentful about the tiny paycheck. Still, his short appearance as the polka band leader remains one of the movie’s most memorable scenes. | © 20th Century Studios
Patricia Arquette gave more than a decade of her life to Boyhood, and the commitment paid off with an Oscar for best supporting actress. But financially, it wasn’t much of a reward. The film had a tiny $4 million budget, and Arquette later admitted she paid her babysitter and dog walker more than she made on the project. Still, her performance as Olivia Evans became one of the film’s strongest anchors and helped make Boyhood a modern classic. | © IFC Films
Oprah Winfrey’s first film role in The Color Purple proved life-changing, even if the paycheck wasn’t. She earned just $35,000, about $102,000 today, for playing Sofia, a performance that landed her an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress. Winfrey later said it was “the best $35,000 I ever earned,” since the role launched her acting career and reshaped her future. Decades later, she even returned as a producer for the 2023 musical remake, showing how deeply the film has stayed with her. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Brad Pitt’s big break came in Thelma & Louise, but the paycheck was far from glamorous. He earned just $6,000, about $14,000 today, for playing J.D., the charming drifter who sweeps Thelma off her feet before stealing her money. His role was small, but Pitt’s presence left a huge impression and launched him into stardom. Compared to the $10 million he later made for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, it’s clear how far that one low-paying gig took him. | © MGM
Chris Evans is now inseparable from Captain America, but his first outing as Steve Rogers didn’t pay much by superhero standards. For Captain America: The First Avenger, he earned just $300,000, a fraction of what he’d later make in the MCU. His paycheck grew quickly, with millions for the Avengers films and $30 million for Infinity War and Endgame. That small first salary looks almost laughable compared to what came after. | © Paramount Pictures
Mel Gibson’s breakout came with Mad Max in 1979, but his paycheck was tiny compared to the film’s success. He earned just $10,000 for playing Max Rockatansk, about $43,000 today, in a movie made on a shoestring budget. That’s shockingly low for a film that went on to make $100 million worldwide. While the money wasn’t much, the role launched Gibson’s career and turned him into one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Seann William Scott made audiences roar as Stifler in American Pie, but his paycheck was anything but impressive. He earned just $8,000 for the role in a film that went on to make over $235 million. Scott later joked he spent most of it on a used Thunderbird and had to work at the LA Zoo selling churros to get by. Not exactly the life you’d expect after stealing the show in one of the biggest comedies of the ’90s. | © Universal Studios
Harrison Ford helped turn Star Wars into a global phenomenon, but his paycheck for the first film was tiny. He earned just $10,000 for playing Han Solo, about $52,000 today, despite the role becoming one of the most iconic in movie history. Ford admitted he almost turned it down because the pay was so low, but took it for $1,000 a week. Decades later, he returned for The Force Awakens with a $25 million payday, proving the galaxy eventually paid him back. | © 20th Century Studios
Jamie Lee Curtis became a star with her role as Laurie Strode in Halloween, but the paycheck was shockingly small. She earned just $8,000 for the 1978 film, about $39,000 today, despite it becoming a massive hit that made $70 million on a tiny budget. Curtis later explained that she had no ownership, no back end, and no profit participation, meaning others got rich while she didn’t. Thankfully, later sequels paid her far more, but her career-defining debut came with barely any money at all. | © Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sean Astin gave one of his best performances as Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings, but his paycheck didn’t reflect the scale of the role. He earned just $250,000 for The Fellowship of the Ring and only slightly more for the sequels, making less than $1 million for the entire trilogy. That’s surprisingly low for playing one of the most beloved heroes in fantasy. While the rest of the cast wasn’t paid much more, it still feels shocking given how central Sam is to the story. | © New Line Cinema
Jonah Hill was already making millions from comedies when he chased the chance to work with Martin Scorsese on The Wolf of Wall Street. To get the part of Donnie Azoff, he agreed to take the absolute minimum pay allowed by SAG at the time, just $60,000, while Leonardo DiCaprio made $10 million. Hill didn’t hesitate, saying he would’ve given up everything just for the opportunity to work with Scorsese. The gamble paid off, earning him an Academy Award nomination and one of the most memorable roles of his career. | © Paramount Pictures
Hilary Swank became a household name with Boys Don’t Cry, but the role that won her an Oscar barely paid the bills. She revealed she earned just $3,000 for the film, not even enough to qualify for her union’s health insurance. “I had an Academy Award, no health insurance,” she later joked. Offers poured in afterward, but the pay gap stuck around, with one studio offering her $500,000 for a lead role while her male co-star was set to make $10 million. | © Searchlight Pictures
Dustin Hoffman became a star with The Graduate, but his paycheck didn’t match the film’s impact. As only his second movie, he was paid $20,000, about $188,000 today, but after taxes and expenses, he walked away with just $4,000. Hoffman later admitted he had to file for unemployment, living on $55 a week while crammed into a tiny New York apartment. Of course, his breakout led to bigger roles, and by Midnight Cowboy two years later, he was already on his way to becoming one of Hollywood’s most celebrated actors. | © Embassy Pictures
Christian Bale completely vanished into Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, a role that’s since become one of pop culture’s favorite villains. But Bale didn’t take home much money for it – in fact, he once said he was paid “the absolute minimum they were legally allowed to pay me.” At the time, he was living with his dad and sister in a house that was getting repossessed, and he even joked that the makeup artists were making more than him. Director Mary Harron later remembered his paycheck as “maybe $50,000,” a shockingly low amount for such an unforgettable performance. | © Lionsgate Films
Big paychecks usually come with big Hollywood roles, but not always. Some of the most iconic performances ever were done for shockingly little money. Here are 15 times A-list stars took tiny salaries for roles that defined their careers.
