Earlier this month, SAG-AFTRA — the union comprised of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists — announced a strike. It's the first time Hollywood's actors and writers have gone on strike simultaneously since 1960!
In recent weeks, numerous actors have spoken up about their ridiculously low residuals, an issue due largely to streaming. And some have been transparent about the low initial compensation they've received, too. So, here are 14 actors who were underpaid for their roles over the years:
1. Kimiko Glenn
The actor has long been outspoken about the poor compensation she and many fellow actors received from Orange Is The New Black. In a recent TikTok, she revealed, "People were bartenders still. People had their second jobs still. They were fucking famous as shit. They were internationally famous, couldn't go outside, but had to keep their second jobs because they couldn't afford to not. We couldn't afford cabs to set!"
On Instagram, she explained that she earned $900 per day of shooting — netting her $1800 per month. As anyone who lives in a high-cost-of-living city knows, that's not nearly enough to live off.
2. James Earl Jones
In 1977, the iconic actor voiced Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope (the first of the Star Wars films). He was only paid $7,000 for his role in the blockbuster hit that went on the change cinema and pop culture forever.
3. Luke Cook
In a recent TikTok, he shared that he was paid $7,500 per episode of Dollface — in comparison to series regulars' $100,000 per episode — despite being just one rung below the regulars. He also noted that taxes would be taken out, as well as 10% for his manager, 10% for his agent, and 5% for his lawyer. Additionally, the show put up a massive billboard of him on Sunset Boulevard. "Do you know how much they paid me to be on the billboard? Zero."
4. Taraji P. Henson
During an interview on The Real, the actor opened up about her salary for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. She was paid $150,000 for the role that earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. After paying taxes and her team, she was left with about $30,000 — the same cost as her son's tuition.
On the Ladies First with Laura Brown podcast, Taraji revealed that she initially asked for $500,000, but the studio shut that down and offered her $100,000 instead. They settled on $150,000, but she pointed out her costars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett made way more. "I’m not saying they shouldn’t have paid Cate and Brad what they deserved," she said. "They deserved that because when this comes out, people are coming because of Brad, and they’re going to discover me. I’m bringing a certain amount to the seat, too, and I felt like what I was asking at that time in my career was fair."
5. Michelle Williams
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Michelle was paid $625,000 for her performance in All the Money in the World, which earned her a Golden Globes nomination. In comparison, her costar Mark Wahlberg made $5 million — nearly ten times her pay.
Even worse, she was paid less than $1,000 for reshoots while Mark's compensation was increased by $1.5 million. After the story went viral, Mark donated the $1.5 million to the Time's Up campaign.
In a statement to Entertainment Tonight, Michelle responded to Mark's donation. "Today isn’t about me. My fellow actresses stood by me and stood up for me, my activist friends taught me to use my voice, and the most powerful men in charge, they listened and they acted. If we truly envision an equal world, it takes equal effort and sacrifice."
6. Oprah
Back in the beginning of her career, the TV host was severely underpaid for her work in The Color Purple. According to Insider, she was paid just $35,000 for playing Sofia. Her performance went on to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
7. Jeff Daniels
The actor was paid just $50,000 for his work in the '90s comedy, Dumb and Dumber. In comparison, costar Jim Carrey made $7 million.
8. Priyanka Chopra
The actor told Insider that she once costarred in a Bollywood movie where she was paid significantly less than her male counterpart. "A producer-director said to me, 'Well, you know how it is in these big tentpole movies with the big boys. This is the budget for the girl, and we can't move beyond that,' which was a measly 5% of what [the male lead] was getting."
9. Hilary Swank
On Chelsea Handler's Netflix talk show, Chelsea, the actor revealed that she was only paid $3,000 for her work in Boys Don't Cry — a performance that won her an Oscar for Best Actress. "I made $3,000. In order to have health insurance, you have to make $5,000," she shared. "So I didn't even know that I didn't have health insurance until I went and tried to get a prescription filled. They said, 'That's $160.' I went, 'Um, did you try my insurance?' They said, 'Mmm-hmm.' I had an Academy Award, no health insurance."
10. Emma Thompson
On an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Emma and the TV host discussed the iconic Christmas movie, Love Actually. "I don't think I was very well paid for that," she said. Though she didn't reveal specific numbers, the actor revealed that she never rewatches the film because it reminds her of her low compensation.
11. Barkhad Abdi
According to the New Yorker, the actor was only paid $65,000 for his role in Captain Phillips, which earned him Golden Globe and Oscar nominations. After production ended, he returned to selling cell phones in a Minneapolis mall. While promoting the movie in LA, he lived in the hotel the studio put him up in and wore loaner clothes.
12. Natalie Portman
In 2017, the actor told Marie Claire UK that costar Ashton Kutcher was paid three times more than her for the rom-com No Strings Attached. "I knew and I went along with it because there’s this thing with 'quotes' in Hollywood," she said. "His [quote] was three times higher than mine so they said he should get three times more. I wasn’t as pissed as I should have been. I mean, we get paid a lot, so it’s hard to complain, but the disparity is crazy."
13. Kylie Sparks
Earlier this month, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the demands of the actors and writers on strike aren't "realistic." Kylie, who's appeared in TV shows like Bleed and I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, tweeted that they're in "one of Netflix's most loved series" but wasn't even paid enough to cover their rent.
14. And finally, Viola Davis
During a Women in the World interview, the actor opened up about the struggles she faces as a Black woman in the entertainment industry. While she didn't share her pay for specific roles, she expressed frustration that she wasn't compensated on par with even white women, let alone white men.
