8 Supporting Actors Who Pocketed More Than Main Stars For Their Roles
You will be blown away by how much money these supporting stars earned in comparison to lead actors.
Sometimes, to draw attention to a movie, creators invite big names to participate. In many cases, such supporting stars receive significantly more than the less popular lead actors. Let's take a look at the most mind-blowing examples.
8. Donald Pleasence (Halloween)
For his role of Samuel Loomis in Carpenter's 1978 Halloween, Pleasence was paid with the highest salary of $20,000, while Jamie Lee Curtis received only $8,000.
7. Marlon Brando (Superman: The Movie)
For his role of Jor-El, Marlon Brando earned significantly more than the lead actor Christopher Reeve.
While Reeve made only $250,000, the iconic actor earned an impressive $3.7 million as a base salary for his supporting portrayal of Jor-El, along with an extra 11.75% in backend profits.
6. Sigourney Weaver (Avatar )
Sigourney Weaver earned $11 million for her role, which is reported to be more than Zoe Saldana's and Sam Worthington's salary. However, the exact amounts are unknown.
5. Terrence Howard (Iron Man)
When the 2008 Iron Man came out, Robert Downey Jr. was not as expensive as he is now, so for his role he received $500,000, while Terrence Howard reportedly was paid around $4 million
4. Harrison Ford ( Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
Daisy Ridley earned around $100,000 — $300,000 for her breakout role, but Harrison Ford took home a salary of around $20 million.
3. Robert Downey Jr. (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
For his short appearance in the film, Downey Jr. earned $10 million overall, while Tom Holland made only 5% of Iron Man's salary — $500,000.
2. Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting)
Williams received an upfront salary of approximately $3 million, plus a percentage of the movie's profits if it exceeded $60 million.
Ultimately, the film achieved a worldwide gross of $225,933,435, resulting in Williams earning substantially more than Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who made $350,000 and $300,000, in addition to $600,000 that the duo reportedly received for selling the screenplay.
1. Jack Nicholson (Batman )
Nicholson was paid $6 million for his role of The Joker.
However, he cleverly negotiated a contract that entitled him to a percentage of the film's box office revenue and merchandise sales, so his earnings soared to an impressive range of $60 to $90 million.
In contrast, Michael Keaton received a comparatively modest payment of $6 million.