Sometimes actors are paid a ridiculous amount of money for few dialogues or very little screen time. They are paid per word and the amount they get paid is crazy. Here we have compiled a list of 10 actors who were paid the biggest salary per word.
1) Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver made good money from the Alien franchise. Initially, she only got $35,000 but the fee rose to $23,128 per word and made about 11 million dollars by the time of Alien Resurrection. This was the actor’s best and most profitable amount ever earned from a film.
2) Keanu Reeves
In the Matrix series (both Reloaded and Revolution), Keanu Reeves spoke a total of 638 words and was paid $159,393 per word. He also gifted approximately $75 million to the FX and costume teams of the film, which worked out at around $1 million per person for each member of the crew.
3) Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie was paid $20,934 per word for her work as a suspended police officer in The Tourist. She spoke a total number of 999 words and was paid nearly 21 million dollars.
4) Arnold Schwarzenegger
With $21,429 per word, Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke 700 words in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and got paid a total of 15 million dollars.
By the time of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), the actor’s salary had doubled to 30 million dollars. He also got another 1.6 million dollars for accessing private jets, bodyguards, expensive suites, and even an on-set gym.
5) Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise was paid $21,545 per word for his work in the first Mission Impossible film and with 3,249 words as Ethan Hunt was able to earn nearly 70 million dollars.
6) Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp, one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, was paid 44 million dollars for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. He spoke 661 words in the film and earned $66,606 per word.
7) Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson was paid 5 million dollars to play the role of Zeus in Clash of the Titans (2010). He only spoke 142 words and was paid $35,211 per word.
8) Kurt Russell
Even though Soldier flopped at the box office and took home only a total of $14.6 million, Kurt Russell managed to get a 20 million dollar fee for the film for playing the character of Sergeant Todd 3465. He spoke only 104 words and was paid $144,231 per word.
9) Chris Evans
Chris Evans is well known for his work in Marvel movies. He was paid 15 million dollars as a fee for Avengers: Infinity War (2018). He spoke a total of 145 words which breaks down to $102,740 per word.
10) Jack Nicholson
As the villain in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) Jack Nicholson spoke a total of 585 words and was paid $166,101 for each word. He managed to earn 6 million dollars upfront but he also negotiated a back and deal that earned him an extra $90 million in the end.
