10 Actors Who Took a Paycut For Their Roles But Made Millions From Back-End Deals

Sometimes Risk Pays Off and How!

There are times when actors choose to take little to no pay for their services if it's for a cause or as a goodwill gesture or when they sense a greater lucrative opportunity. Sometimes actors take a percentage of the movie's profits, a risky move, but it often pays off big time. Other times, celebrities who take a cut due to budget constraints get compensated in other forms like widespread popularity, critical acclaim and prestigious awards. From Tom Hanks to Jim Carrey, here are 10 stars who took little to no upfront payment for their roles, but got paid off big time.  

1. Jon Heder: "Napoleon Dynamite"

Jon Heder was paid just $1000 for his role in the cult classic comedy “Napoleon Dynamite”.  The movie went on to become a box office hit earning millions. While the movie was made with a budget of just $400,000, it went on to rake in a whopping $46.1 million at the box office, launching Heder’s career as an actor, as per UNILAD. Heder was later able to renegotiate his deal to get a cut of the profits of the film.

2. Jim Carrey: "Yes Man"

Jim Carrey did not take any upfront payment for “Yes Man” and in exchange he took 36.2% of the back-end profits, as per Buzzfeed. Carrey who was making a return to comedy after a few years, had confidence in his ability to bring in audience to the theaters. This turned out to be a good decision. The film made over $200 million at the box office and it resulted in a $30 million payday for Carrey.

3. Ethan Hawke: "The Purge"

Ethan Hawke agreed to star in the horror film “The Purge” taking a massive paycut. The film was made with a tiny budget of $3 million but it turned out to be a great success with the audience. With Hawke and director James DeMonaco’s passionate work, the film went on to gross over $34 million. Later, it was revealed that Hawke had to let go of ordinary perks as well. However, Hawke did take home a percentage of the profits which was reportedly worth $2 million, as per Buzzfeed.

4. Cameron Diaz: "Bad Teacher"

While "Bad Teacher" wasn’t exactly a huge project of Cameron Diaz’s career, it certainly was one of the most high paying ones. While Diaz took a major paycut and reduced her fee to just $1 million for the film, she struck a lucrative back-end deal. “Bad Teacher” went on to gross over $216 million at the global box office, and Diaz pocketed a handsome $42 million as per her deal, according to The Things.  

5. Tom Hanks: "Forrest Gump"

For the critically acclaimed film “Forrest Gump”, lead actor Tom Hanks reportedly waived his upfront salary. However, Hanks reportedly included a clause in his contract which would earn him a performance-based pay, meaning if the film turns out to be a hit, he would earn a percentage of the gross profits. Thanks to the smart but risky contract, Hanks reportedly made over $40 million as the film grossed over $677 million at the box office, as per UNILAD.

6. Harrison Ford: "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”

Harrison Ford was reportedly semi-retired when he was approached to reprise his role as the famous Indiana Jones for the film “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”. As he agreed to take up on the role once again, Paramount was ready to give him about one third of the film’s profits with the remaining shares going to the film’s director Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. While Ford wasn’t paid any upfront salary, he reportedly made over $65 million, as the film was a massive global hit, according to news.com.au.  

7. Jack Nicholson: "Batman"

Jack Nicholson cut a unique and highly lucrative deal to appear as The Joker in 1989 film “Batman”. While he slashed his upfront payment to $6 million which wasn’t too low, he demanded some inclusions in his contract. He got a percentage of the film’s profits, along with a share of the merchandise sales from “Batman”, “Batman Returns”, “Batman Forever” and “Batman & Robin” despite appearing only in the original film. As the film grossed over $400 million worldwide and merchandise sales exceeded $750 million, Nicholson walked away with over $60 million, as per news.com.au.

8. Hilary Swank: "Boys Don’t Cry"

Hilary Swank was paid just $75 per day or a total of $3000 for her work in the critically acclaimed film “Boys Don’t Cry”. During an appearance on the Netflix talk show “Chelsea”, Swank revealed that she did not have health insurance on the sets as the minimum salary needed for insurance was $5000, as per PEOPLE. However, her remarkable performance in the film paid off in other ways as she won her first Academy Award for the Best Lead Actress, boosting her profile in Hollywood.

9. Jamie Lee Curtis: "Halloween"

Jamie Lee Curtis, who was at the dawn of her acting career, had only appeared in a handful of TV shows before her big break. She was offered the lead role in the indie horror film, “Halloween”, which unexpectedly made her a breakout star in Hollywood. While the actress was paid only $8,000 due to the low production budget, the film helped her start a career as a screen queen. The success of the film led to the production of the second instalment for which Curtis was paid about $100,000 to reprise her role, as per The Things.

10. Sandra Bullock: "Gravity"

While Sandra Bullock did not let go of her upfront payment, she went on to earn even more with her lucrative back-end deal for the film “Gravity.” She pocketed a whopping $20 million for the role upfront, and she also negotiated a 15% cut of the studio’s profits. The film went on to rake in over $740 million earning Bullock over $70 million in total including money from from home video, TV and ancillary revenue of the production, as per The Hollywood Reporter.