Acting is one of the highest paid professions in the world today. We are accustomed to the fact that stars receive fabulous royalties for filming movies. It’s the kind of money an ordinary person can make only if he wins at the online Casino site PlayAmo.com. But sometimes actors have to agree to negligible royalties. Why? For example, the project is promising, but the budget is small. In this case, celebrities take risks for the sake of recognition, awards and love of the profession. These are the 8 Hollywood stars who have received modest royalties for their work.

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Hilary Swank

In 1999, Hilary Swank accepted a role in an independent film directed by Kimberly Pierce called Boys Don’t Cry. The movie was based on the true story of transsexual Brandon Tina, who was raped and killed by his own acquaintances who discovered the guy’s true gender. Hilary was so convincing in the role that she won almost every award as best actress, including an Oscar.

The independent and low-budget picture brought Swank not money (her fee was $3,000) but something more – a path to the world of high-paying roles and great prospects. Hilary has no regrets about the fact that she agreed to film in the picture, even for such a fee.

Matthew McConaughey

Matthew was already famous, sought after and highly paid, when he accepted a role in Dallas Buyers Club, where he played electrician and rodeo cowboy Ron Woodroof, who learns of his fatal diagnosis. The role was extremely difficult and required a serious commitment. Matthew even had to lose weight, which took a toll on his health, all for a ridiculous $200,000.

By the way, for the shooting in Dallas Buyers Club, Matthew turned down $15 million, offered by Universal Studios for his participation in the movie about Detective Magnum. McConaughey saw potential in the script and agreed to the role.

Jennifer Lawrence

After the release of “The Hunger Games” Jennifer broke all records for royalties, but few people know that she once started with a tiny $3,000 for the lead role. It was the movie Winter’s Bone, where she brilliantly played 17-year-old Ree Dolly, who went on a perilous journey to find her father who mortgaged the house.

The filming was difficult, as was the preparation for it, but Jennifer pulled it all off. The drama gave Lawrence more than enrichment: critical acclaim, fame, an Oscar nomination, a path to blockbusters and multimillion-dollar royalties.

Jonah Hill

Jonah once played nice guys in comedies and dreamed of playing a serious role and working with Martin Scorsese. The actor didn’t care about the fee the director could offer him, the script or the working conditions – Hill just wanted to work with the best. In 2013, his dream came true. Jonah came to the casting for The Wolf of Wall Street starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Except that Hill was paid only $60,000, although Martin certainly had the money to pay the actors. By comparison, DiCaprio was paid $10 million. By the way, Jonah did not regret his decision and was not offended by Scorsese. According to the actor, he was ready to pay the director himself and even donate a house, just to appear in the film.

Bill Murray

The American actor and comedian was already quite famous and receiving huge royalties when he accepted a role in Wes Anderson’s comedy drama Rushmore. Bill wanted to star in this movie so much that he agreed to a $9,000 fee and even paid for some of the production costs of the picture. For example, Murray paid for the rental of a helicopter for filming one of the scenes. this scene the viewer never saw – it was cut out.

Brad Pitt

In 1991, Brad Pitt was not yet as popular and in demand as he is now. The actor agreed to any role, just to hit the screen and not to sit idle. So, for the role of an attractive hitchhiker in Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise, Brad received only $6,000. But that is not the main thing, a low fee paid off, Pitt noticed, he literally got a “golden ticket” to Hollywood and could choose projects.

Now Brad’s fees reach $30 million, although the actor has often said that he agrees to filming not for the money, but for the role. So there is a chance that Pitt will surprise his fans by starring in a low-budget film, if he likes the script and the character.

Michelle Williams

The Hollywood actress appeared in Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World, where she played the lead female role. Michelle’s partner on the set was Mark Wahlberg. But here’s the trouble because of the scandal around Kevin Spacey some scenes had to be reshot. Almost all of the actors agreed to shoot for almost nothing, only Mark was asked to pay an extra $1.5 million. As a result, Michelle’s fee was only $625,000, while Wahlberg received several times more. Williams does not regret at all and does not count other people’s money. In an interview, the actress admitted that she was willing to work with Scott even for free because she deeply respects him as a director and appreciates his work.

Ryan Gosling

The once smarmy romantic who chooses interesting and unpredictable roles for himself was quite famous when he accepted the role of young history teacher Dan Dunn, who is densely addicted to drugs and has broken off his relationship with his entire family in Half Nelson. It was an unusual experience for Ryan, but he handled the role and even received an Oscar nomination. Gosling’s fee was negligible – only $1,000 a week. For the entire period of shooting Ryan earned 23 thousand dollars and knocked out of his romantic role of smarmy hero-lovers. Since then, the actor has been offered dramatic roles in serious films, which has affected his career.

Actors have proven a love for their profession. Many are willing to shoot practically for nothing just to get into a dream project or work with iconic directors. This proves once again that creative people cannot be bought for money; they are free to choose with whom and what they want to work.