Even if they have a proven record of highly lauded performances and spectacular ratings, celebrities are still at the mercy of studios, directors, as well as producers when it comes to their multimillion-dollar wages and benefits, whether they want to be or not. Project budgets, less expensive alternatives, and overconfidence can all have an impact on the likelihood that a particular actor or actress will or will not be cast in a particular role. Some are fortunate enough to receive a significant pay raise, whereas others have their salaries reduced. Some people are even unlucky enough to be removed from a project entirely because of their mistakes. In any case, take pleasure in the fact that certain Hollywood celebrities have managed to earn both better and worse salaries.
Hollywood A Listers Who Requested A Higher Wage
Robert Downey, Jr.
In 2008, Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau collaborated on Iron Man, launching the modern era of Marvel Cinematic Universe masterpieces. Marvel initially refused to hire RDJ due to his history of alcohol and drug abuse and poor public image. Fortunately, Jon Favreau fought for his star. Marvel finally gave in and let Favreau cast Downey Jr. as “Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist” Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. Surprisingly, his first role only paid him $500,000! Due to the success of Iron Man, RDJ demanded $10 million for Iron Man 2. Marvel gave in to Stark’s new salary demands, realizing he would be the focus of future Avengers stories.
Robert Downey, Jr.
Helen Hunt
From 1992 to 1999, Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt portrayed a married couple residing in New York City. After so many seasons of original episodes as well as numerous reruns, NBC made hundreds of millions of dollars in marketing. The show’s stars demanded $100,000 per episode during wage negotiations. Like any new show, Hunt and Reiser worked hard to establish the tv series. They both got their $100,000 asking payment for their actions.
Helen Hunt
Simon Cowell
American Idol, Fox’s once-popular singing contest series, premiered on June 11, 2002. No doubt, even with noteworthy series finalists like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, Simon Cowell was and still is the face of American Idol. During his contract’s first five seasons, Cowell was able to bargain a breathtaking $35 million salary for him. His colleagues, judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, only made $5 million per season.
Simon Cowell
Millie Bobby Brown
Stranger Things was bought by Netflix in 2015 and premiered on July 15, 2016. Amazing writing, direction, atmosphere, and pace have made Stranger Things a worldwide phenomenon. The series, which stars Winona Ryder and David Harbour, has a young cast, including actress Millie Bobby Brown. Bobby Brown asked for a raise at the beginning of the third season as the show’s popularity grew. Instead of $25,000 per episode, the aspiring actress demanded $250,000 per episode. Her renegotiation with Netflix was a smashing success.
Millie Bobby Brown
Rob Lowe
The West Wing was an American political drama created by Aaron Sorkin and set in the fictional West Wing of the White House during the fictional administration of Democrat Josiah Bartlet. From 1999 to 2006, Rob Lowe portrayed Toby Ziegler’s Deputy Communications Director, Sam Seaborn. Lowe’s screen time dwindled over time. He was also displeased with his pay of $75,000 per episode, compared to his costars’ $300,000. Lowe’s salary request was denied. So Lowe left by “mutual” agreement with the network.
Rob Lowe
Michael C. Hall
Michael C. Hall portrayed a forensic technician who specialized in bloodstain pattern analysis in the antihero “vigilante serial killer” Dexter Morgan. Seasons one through four were well-received, but seasons five and six were not. Regardless, the season four finale drew 2.6 million viewers, the most of any Showtime original (at the time). With such a feat, Hall was entitled to a raise. He jumped after season six ended. Showtime finally caved in and managed to give Hall his $48 million asking price for two more seasons. They wanted $40 million for two seasons.
Michael C. Hall
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Throughout its nine-season, 180-episode run, Seinfeld was a smash hit with viewers. The show, created by Larry David and starring Jerry Seinfeld, featured Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, as well as Jason Alexander as Seinfeld’s friends. Despite the show’s huge success, the cast was underpaid. The show’s final season saw Louis-Dreyfus, Richards, and Alexander requesting $1 million per episode, despite being denied royalties. The request was easily granted, but Alexander mentioned that the $1 million pay was something they all “should have had” long ago.
Julia Louis Dreyfus
Ray Romano
From 1996 to 2005, audiences around the world fell madly in love with Raymond Barone and his Italian-American family on Long Island. the greatest all-time series and best sitcom set to star a stand-up comedian. With such recognition, Romano decided to raise his income in 2003. He wanted $1.8 million per episode plus residuals. CBS, believe it or not, bit. Because his “family” and co-stars were only getting $160,000 per episode, they all stood up and walked out. Because the sitcom was a hit, they too got big pay raises.
Ray Romano
Evan Rachel Wood
Westworld was based on the late Michael Crichton’s 1973 film of the same name. The plot of Westworld was recycled in 2016, with advanced humanoid android hosts having lived out their completely fictitious lives in a Wild West theme park. “With an impressive level of quality that honors its source material, the brilliantly addictive Westworld balances intelligent, enthralling drama against outright insanity,” said Rotten Tomatoes. Before the third season began, Evan Rachel Wood and several co-stars demanded $250,000 per episode. The humanoid requests were granted as Westworld became HBO’s most-watched first season of original programming.
Evan Rachel Wood
Kelsey Grammer
Frasier proceeded the story of psychiatrist Frasier Crane, who was introduced in the series Cheers, which was set in the titular bar in Boston, Massachusetts, “Where Everybody Knows Your Name.” Over the course of 11 seasons, Kelsey Grammer played the lead character as he comes back to Seattle, starts a new career as a radio host, reconnects with his father and brother, and meets new people. Grammer demanded $1.6 million per season for the last two seasons, claiming that he would “never have to work again” once the show ended. Grammer pulled it off even without using reverse psychology.
Kelsey Grammer
Jorja Fox
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, also widely recognized as CSI or CSI: Las Vegas, aired for 337 episodes. From October 2000 to September 2015, the Las Vegas Police Department’s character-driven team won six Golden Globes, six Primetime Emmys, as well as many other recognitions. Despite tremendous success and viewership, the producers were frugal. When Jorja Fox and George Eads demanded a $20,000 per episode raise (totaling $120,000), CBS dismissed them. Fox and Eads, having lost their jobs and wages, came back to work for $100,000 per episode.
Jorja Fox
Chrissy Metz
This Is Us was an American drama that discussed the lives of two parents as well as their three children over time. Chrissy Metz was homeless before being cast as Kate Pearson. Metz made $40,000 per episode in the first season. When the show went national, her wage requirements changed. Metz and other co-stars demanded big raises before the third season aired. They all got their money wishes. Metz now earns $250,000 per episode.
Chrissy Metz
Daniel Dae Kim
The 2010–2020 version was produced by CBS Productions and Television Studios as a reboot of the original Hawaii Five-O series, which ran from 1968 to 1980. Detective Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly, a veteran HPD detective, was played by actor Daniel Dae Kim in this modern remake. He attempted to negotiate a more “equal” salary with co-stars Scott Caan and Alex O’Loughlin because his pay was significantly lower. As a result, in 2017, Kim requested $200,000 per episode from CBS. Unfortunately, the request was denied, and Kim was fired from the show after the final season.
Daniel Dae Kim
Taraji P. Henson
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a romantic fantasy drama released in 2008 that saw star Brad Pitt age backwards impressively. Cate Blanchett portrayed his long-term love interest, and Taraji P. Henson portrayed his adoptive mother. Henson was hoping for a $500,000 payday after being nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the film’s premiere. Simply put, she was given a pitiful sum of $150,000. Henson was “gutted” by the extremely unequal pay.
Taraji P. Henson
Sharon Stone
Following the murder of a San Francisco rock star, police detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) commences an investigation. In an unexpected turn of events, he becomes romantically involved with Catherine Tramell, the main murder suspect (Sharon Stone). Basic Instinct would go to becoming one of the Stone’s breakout roles, but her compensation for the part did not reflect this. Michael Douglas was paid a whopping $14 million, while Stone, his female co-star, received a pitiful $500,000. Stone seems to have become an activist for closing the gender wage gap in Hollywood, frustrated by her power in the process.
Sharon Stone
Kathy Griffin
Brooke Shields portrays Susan Keane, a San Francisco magazine writer who is forced to learn how to be a strong woman on her own. In one of her first paid roles, Kathy Griffin played Vicki Groener. Griffin was, regrettably, underpaid. She was grossly underpaid for a forward-thinking position, and she was well aware of it. She had no qualms about asking for a raise, but she didn’t get the raise she wanted. Griffin described the act of asking as “brutal” when she is “just told, ‘No.”
Kathy Griffin
Halle Berry
In around beginning of the century, Halle Berry was making her milestone in Hollywood. She won the Oscar for her performance in Monster’s Ball and starred as Storm in X-Men. She demanded a $1 million increase from Revlon CEO Ron Perelman, a company with which she had a deal. Perelman resented being asked for more money and flatly refused. Berry keeps her $1.38 million wage.
Halle Berry
Suzanne Somers
Three’s Company was indeed an American adaptation of the 1973-1976 British television show Man About the House. Jennanet Wood (Joyce Dewitt), Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Somers), as well as Jack Tripper (John Ritter) resided in a Santa Monica apartment building. Suzanne Somers started out earning $3,500 per week. Her pay rose to $30,000 per week. But because John Ritter was compensated over $150,000 per week, Somers had to compete. Rather, Somers was dismissed in the fifth season.
Suzanne Somers
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez is a singer, model, actress, as well as two-time American Idol judge. Initially, Lopez agreed to judge Idol for $11 million. So she kept judging at this price. By 2013, Lopez wanted $22 million to return as an Idol judge. Even though her power and fame are undeniable, executive producers were unwilling to pay up. So Lopez had to walk as Nicki Minaj took her place.
Jennifer Lopez
Steve Whitmire
Steve Whitmire is widely recognized for his fictitious characters. That is, his voice as well as movement acting of Muppets Kermit the Frog and Ernie (after the death of Jim Henson, the Muppets creator and original voice of these two characters), Rizzo the Rat and Sprocket the Dog. Whitmire was dismissed after 27 years of service due to Disney’s allegations of wage demands as well as business misbehavior (s).
Steve Whitmire
Jaimee Foxworth
Family Matters, a spin-off of Perfect Strangers, focused on the Winslow family of Chicago. It also managed to give us one of the interesting characters of the 1990s, Steve Urkel (Jaleel White). Jaimee Foxworth, who got to play “Judy” Winslow, was another fan favorite. Fans were disheartened to see her simply vanish in season four. Producers were preparing for her exit. She reportedly asked for more money before being fired. Sadly, even after leaving the show, Foxworth was “never invited” to Family Matters reunions. The disdain between the ex-actress and the network was saddening.
Jaimee Foxworth
Lauren Cohan
While Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes was the star of The Walking Dead, Lauren Cohan’s Maggie Greene was a long-time series regular. Wage negotiations had soured the star’s professional relationship. Good thing Cohan herself said the supposedly “tense” negotiations have been anything but. With Greene’s story arc uncompleted, Cohan never thought about leaving. Her character was given new roles within The Walking Dead universe. No word on whether the salary increase request was successful.
Lauren Cohan
Will Ferrell
Nine years after the original Anchorman film’s success, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues reunited the original characters with a lengthy list of Hollywood comedians. The sequel was initially given $35 million to finish. The film’s budget was easily increased due to the success of Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell in the first film, and Ferrell’s desire for a $10 – $20 million salary. Paramount Pictures increased their budget from $35 million to $50 million.
Will Ferrell
Keanu Reeves
Young Keanu Reeves continues to play a Florida lawyer who travels to New York City with his wife (Charlize Theron) to work for a major law firm’s owner (Al Pacino). That legal firm owner is the devil. However unlike initial actresses and actors on this list, Reeves willingly took a $15 million payout. He did so to make sure Pacino got the devilish role.
Keanu Reeves
Jason Genao, Brett Gray, Sierra Capri, and Diego Tinoco
On My Block is a Netflix original teen comedy/drama from the United States that debuted in 2018. Jason Genao, Brett Gray, Sierra Capri, and Diego Tinoco star as four teenagers from a rough inner-city LA neighborhood whose friendships and relationships are put to the test as they enter high school. The four stars requested a pay raise for the third season because of the exciting storylines and excellent performances by the diverse cast. Netflix agreed to pay each of the four $60,000 per episode in the third season, up from $20,000 per episode in the first two seasons.
Jason Genao, Brett Gray, Sierra Capri, And Diego Tinoco
NeNe Leakes
Nene Leakes is a clothing designer, author, TV personality, and actress who is best known for appearing on the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Leakes first appeared on the show in 2008 and stayed on as a full-time member of the cast for the first seven seasons. She took a break between seasons eight and nine before returning for seasons ten and twelve. Leakes requested a high per-episode salary but was denied, having caused her to miss or skip several seasons. She also came to the realization that her time on the show was running out, so she decided to leave.
NeNe Leakes
Dylan Minette
13 Reasons Why debuted on Netflix in 2017 and did run until its “natural conclusion” in 2020. The series is based on the same-named novel published in 2007. The first season’s plot followed Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) in the aftermath of his crush Hannah Baker’s (Katherine Langford) death. Minnette’s performance was praised by critics. This made it very easy for Netflix to agree to his pay-per-episode demand. His pay ranged from $150,000 to $200,000 per episode after that.
Dylan Minette
Bruce Willis
Sylvester Stallone’s 2010 film The Expendables brought together some of Hollywood’s toughest actors. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Wesley Snipes, and the original “tough guy” Chuck Norris were among the participants. Stallone wanted Bruce Willis to appear in the third installment, which was eventually released in 2014. Stallone decided to offer Willis $3 million for four days of filming. Willis, on the other hand, demanded $4 million. Willis, unexpectedly, declined the offer.
Bruce Willis
Tom Cruise
Yes, we understand this is a photo of Angelina Jolie rather than Tom Cruise. Even though Jolie was cast in the starring character in the 2010 film Salt, the role was originally offered to Tom Cruise. However, because Cruise demanded $20 million for the job, which the studio refused to meet, Jolie was hired instead. The character was changed slightly to fit in with the film’s new strong female lead.
Tom Cruise
Katherine Heigl
Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Garner, Emma and Julia Roberts, Taylor Swift, Topher Grace, George Lopez, and many others starred in 2010’s Valentine’s Day. When asked if she wanted to be in the film, Katherine Heigl declined, citing a $3 million wage as her reason. Her well-known co-stars took much lower pay. As a result, Heigl was ultimately cut from the film.
Katherine Heigl