how much do actors get paid
How Much do Actors get Paid
Most people seem to be fascinated by all the glitz and glam of celebrities, and more so, the big bucks they make. So how much do they really make, and how much do the not-so-famous newbies make? Here's a look.
An Actor's 'Salary'
The top stars can ask for pretty much any amount they feel is right. They, along with their agent and other experts in this field, assess their own brand value, and the effort they are putting in, and ask the producers for that much money.
The compensation of a big actor depends on several things. Some may choose to take their compensation after the completion of the movie, and then have nothing to do with it. Another option which seasoned actors tend to choose, is to enter a profit-sharing agreement with the producers. This means that the actor may choose to take a share of the profits that the movie producers make through various channels, like ticket sales, merchandise sales (in case of superhero films), DVD sales, and sale of rights to TV channels. In such a case, the actor may settle for a lower salary. The salaries vary a lot, as the terms and conditions of signing are different. They may ask for a signing-on fee even before the shooting for the film commences.
*Figures in Million USD
Highest-Paid Actors
(Male)
| Robert Downey Jr. | 75 |
| Channing Tatum | 60 |
| Hugh Jackman | 55 |
| Mark Wahlberg | 52 |
| Dwayne Johnson | 46 |
| Leonardo DiCaprio | 39 |
| Adam Sandler | 37 |
| Tom Cruise | 35 |
| Denzel Washington | 33 |
| Liam Neeson | 32 |
Highest-Paid Actors
(Female)
| Angelina Jolie | 33 |
| Jennifer Lawrence | 26 |
| Kristen Stewart | 22 |
| Jennifer Aniston | 20 |
| Emma Stone | 16 |
| Charlize Theron | 15 |
| Sandra Bullock | 14 |
| Natalie Portman | 14 |
| Mila Kunis | 11 |
| Julia Roberts | 11 |
Highest-Paid TV Actors
(Male)
| Ashton Kutcher | 24 |
| Hugh Laurie | 18 |
| Ray Romano | 18 |
| Alec Baldwin | 15 |
| Mark Harmon | 15 |
| Tim Allen | 14 |
| Jon Cryer | 13 |
| Patrick Dempsey | 12 |
| Jim Parsons | 8 |
| Johnny Galecki | 8 |
Highest-Paid TV Actors
(Female)
| Sofia Vergara | 19 |
| Kim Kardashian | 18 |
| Eva Longoria | 15 |
| Bethenny Frankel | 12 |
| Khloe Kardashian | 11 |
| Tina Fey | 11 |
| Mariska Hargitay | 10 |
| Zooey Deschanel | 9 |
| Felicity Huffman | 9 |
| Ellen Pompeo | 9 |
How Much Do New Actors Get Paid?
The numbers mentioned above may seem real tempting indeed, but unless you are a Tom Cruise or a Kristen Stewart, you might wanna set your targets a LOT lower. The salary of lesser-known actors really depends on the rate demanded by the actors' union, called the SAG (Screen Actors Guild). The SAG aims to protect the interests of the budding actors, and protects them from being exploited by the producers to work for extremely low wages. They are the ones, who decide what the base salary of an actor should be, based on which, the producers have to give the daily or weekly wages to the actors, who are performing in the movie, TV series or commercial.
Hence, if an actor chooses to be a registered member of the SAG, he stands to get a daily wage of $842 a day or $2,921 a week (2012 - 2013). While some websites give an average annual earnings for a new actor, those figures can be very inaccurate, as the actor may or may not be employed for the entire year. If he is amongst the select few who are employed for the full year, then even at these rates, he will have quite a good life indeed.
So, while the starting salary of an actor may not be all that great, and the chances of a full-time employment may be low, there is a huge opportunity to grow in this field. I guess, initially, it depends on the producer, but with hard work and dedication, you could soon be dictating the terms!