Top 10 Insanely Expensive Actors to Work With

Top 10 Insanely Expensive Actors to Work With

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Insanely Expensive Actors to Work With.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the Hollywood personalities with the highest price tags.

Who’s your favorite big-name celebrity? Let us know in the comments!

#10: Lin-Manuel Miranda

In 2020, the rights to hit musical “Hamilton” were sold to media giant Disney for $75 million. The immensely talented composer, singer, and actor has made his fortune in various gigs, but the Disney deal was his largest payday yet. As one might expect from the perpetually positive Miranda, he doesn’t spend his money on flashy gold cars and overpriced timepieces. Though he does have some real estate holdings, Miranda spends a lot of his time and money on philanthropic projects, namely relief for Puerto Rico following the 2019 hurricane, and scholarship programs for students of color.

#9: Sandra Bullock

She has come a long way from “Speed,” for which she made a paltry sum of $500,000. For 2013’s major motion picture “Gravity”, Bullock was paid $20 million upfront, with a 15% stake in box-office revenue. This left her with a sum of approximately $70 million. The role was a stroke of luck for Bullock, as she was called on to replace Angelina Jolie, as the studio wanted a big name. Coming off her Oscar win for “The Blind Side”, Bullock was an excellent choice. Given the gravity of the situation (pun intended), she could negotiate her salary. The studio was also capable of sparing no expense on big-name salaries for the film, as it only stars 2 actors.

#8: Dwayne Johnson

Can you smell what The Rock is cooking? These days, all he can smell is money. The former wrestler can be seen in a plethora of recent films, and he’s not slowing down. His marketability isn’t slowing down either. Amazon Studios will produce “Red One,” starring Johnson. It is described as a Christmas action-adventure film, a genre that is clearly right up The Rock’s alley. Johnson was given $30 million just for signing on, and will receive another $20 million once the film is finished. Honestly, however, we have to assume that Amazon is good for the money. It’s mere pocket change to them.

#7: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Have you heard of a “pay or play” fee? Well, if you’re Arnold Schwarzenegger, you have and are important enough to warrant one. A “pay or play” fee is a salary offered regardless of whether the film gets made or not. Arnie made $29.25 million for “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.” He would, however, have been paid the same had the film somehow failed to get produced. The contract for his reprisal of the role reportedly contained over 33 pages. If you want Arnold, you’d better pay up. Yet, who could play the Terminator in his place? It would be the equivalent of re-casting Indiana Jones. No one wants that.

#6: Vin Diesel

Vin Diesel (whose real name is Mark Sinclair… how normal is that?) is worth the big bucks, apparently. For his turn in the 9th “Fast and the Furious” film (yes, 9th), he was paid $20 million upfront. He also received a portion of the profits, which would estimate his total gains around $50 million. If that isn’t shocking enough, Diesel made $54 million combined for voicing Groot in 3 films. The man just repeatedly said, “I am Groot,” into a microphone, and was handed $54 million. That’s… honestly a little ridiculous, but totally worth it!

#5: Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck has certainly come a long way from the days when he was basically considered Matt Damon’s sidekick. In 2020, Affleck made a reported $55 million for 2 roles: one motion picture release, “The Way Back,” and one Netflix release, “The Last Thing He Wanted.” Getting cast as Batman in the DC Extended Universe helped a lot, donning the cape and cowl multiple times. The actor/director/writer recently got back together with his former flame Jennifer Lopez after 18 years, once again forming “Bennifer,” a very wealthy power couple.

#4: Johnny Depp

Much like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Johnny Depp knows when he’s in demand and when he can negotiate a hefty paycheck. For the first “Pirates of the Caribbean” film, Depp made a pauper’s salary of only $10 million. The subsequent films were far more lucrative for the character actor, and much like some of the others on our list, he began to rake in a portion of the profits as well. For the second film, Depp’s salary was doubled, and so on. It is estimated that Jack Sparrow made approximately $300 million for the five films. Time to leave some of the booty for other pirates, Mr. Sparrow.

#3: Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford has had much luck with characters only he can play. The main example of this is Indiana Jones. For “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, the first film in the original trilogy, Ford was paid $5.9 million. This seems rather low by today’s standards, but this was in 1981. When it was deemed he was indispensable for the role, Ford took advantage. For 2008’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” Ford’s salary was over 10 times his 1981 take, coming in at an astonishing $65 million. With a fifth film in the works and Ford once again donning the fedora, we don’t even want to imagine what his salary will be this time around.

#2: Robert Downey Jr.

Another fierce negotiator, Robert Downey Jr. was well aware of his importance to the MCU when the later films came along. For 2008’s “Iron Man,” the first film in the gargantuan Marvel Cinematic Universe, Downey agreed upon a salary of $500,000, with an 8% cut of future profits, regardless of what they may be. After his journey through a series of films, Downey basically became Tony Stark, both as the essential actor for the role and in real-life wealth. For his penultimate film in Phase 3, “Avengers: Infinity War,” Downey raked in $75 million. He made about the same for “Endgame.” At that point, we can all agree that any other actor would have been unacceptable, and we can only assume Downey knew that.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Will Smith
He Was Paid $40 Million for “King Richard”

Tom Hanks
“Saving Private Ryan” Earned Him $40 Million & “Forrest Gump” $60 Million

Emma Stone
She Danced Her Way to $26 Million with “La La Land”

Leonardo DiCaprio
He Made $30 Million for Netflix’s “Don’t Look Up” & $50 Million for “Inception”

Keanu Reeves
Neo Accumulated $250 Million for the First 3 “Matrix” Films

#1: Daniel Craig

You’d think Daniel Craig would top our list for his turn as James Bond. Well, you’d be wrong. For the upcoming two sequels to 2019’s “Knives Out,” Craig will be paid $100 million. This payday has officially pushed him up to the title of highest-paid actor in 2021. The explanation for this is that streaming giant Netflix has purchased the rights to the franchise. A big-name actor can now negotiate an exorbitant salary, given that box office profits are not up for grabs. Streaming services are now a powerful force to be reckoned with, but with great power comes great payouts, and household names are well aware of this development. Cheers, Mr. Bond.