Think of the times when you turned down the fiver your friend gave you for getting his work done. We’ve all been in situations where we have denied taking money from our near and dear ones. However that’s nothing compared to the paychecks these celebrities have turned down. One might say they print enough money that turning down a couple million won’t make any difference to their fortune. However, there have been times when their decisions haven’t turned out wise enough and landed them in regret.
Some did it for integrity, some did it for art, here some of the highest paychecks that have been turned down by celebrities
1. Lady Gaga Refused $1 Million To Play At A Republican Party Event
In 2012, Gaga was invited to perform at the Republican Party Convention and was offered $1 million in return. She is quite candid about her political views and is clearly not a big fan of the Republican Party
2. The Song “Somebody That I Used To Know” Possibly Could Have Earned $1.6 Million From YouTube Ads
While he had all the chance in the world, Wouter De Backer who goes by the stage name Gotye, didn’t monetize his most successful video titled Somebody That I Used to Know. Gotye doesn’t want his music to be associated with products on ads and he’s not interested in selling his music.
3. Abba Was Offered $1 Billion For A Reunion Tour, But They Refused
Probably one of the highest paychecks turned down, Nearly 30 years after their disbandment, in 2000, the group was offered $1 billion for a reunion tour. ABBA believed that not reuniting helped them to stay popular.
4. ZZ Top Members Were Offered $1 Million To Shave Off Their Beards For A Commercial
It was Gilette that offered ZZ Top Members a million dollars for shaving off the beard that they had been sporting for years. However, no amount was enough for Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill to let go of their iconic facial hair.
5. Jerry Seinfeld turned down a whopping $110 Million
On being given the offer to film one more season of his iconic sitcom Seinfeld, Jerry turned down NBC’s offer of $110 million citing his health as a priority.
6. Will Ferrel walked away from an offer of $26 Million for doing Elf 2
Ferrel believed that it won’t be apt to taint the first movie in case the second one doesn’t turn out as a success.
7. Christian Bale could’ve earned $50 million if he would have said yes to a fourth Batman installment
Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy was a very successful series of movies about Batman. However, when Bale was offered the fourth installment, he declined to assert that Nolan envisioned a trilogy and he absolutely respects his wish.
8. Michael Keaton Declined $15 Million For A Role In Batman & Robin Because He Didn’t Like The Script
Michael simply didn’t like what he had read in the script and that was enough for him to decline Warner Bros.
9. Keanu Reeves declined Speed 2 for $12 million after reading the script
Speed was a film that skyrocketed Keanu Reeves’ career. However, the script of the sequel didn’t fascinate Keanu enough.
10. Jodie Foster didn’t want to enact in the sequel of The Silence Of The Lambs despite being offered $15 million
Jodie had read the novel on which the second movie would have been based and she didn’t like the portrayal of the character she was meant to play
11. The Creator Of Breaking Bad Declined $75 Million
The award-winning series has a total of 62 episodes which is a reference to the atomic number of Samarium, an element of the periodic table used in cancer treatment. The creator of the series, Vince Gilligan who suffers from lung cancer was offered $75 million for 3 more episodes which he turned down
12. The Beatles Were Offered $50 Million For A Reunion Concert And They Said No
Promoter Bill Sargent offered the artists $50 million for a reunion concert 4 years after they split. At first, they considered it, but they didn’t like the idea of a man biting a shark in the opening act.
13. James Arthur Declined $346,000 For Being In Celebrity Big Brother
James refused the reality show’s offer despite being in need of money as he feared if he would step in that show, nobody would take him or his music seriously.
14. Sean Connery was offered $450 Million to play Gandalf in LOTR
Sean read not only the script of Lord Of The Rings, but also the book, yet he didn’t understand it.
15. Katie Holmes Said No To $15 Million For The Role Of Buffy In Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Katie was pretty young back when she was offered the role and was finishing high school. Accepting the role would have made it very difficult.
16. Matt Damon Missed A $278 Million Deal By Not Taking A Role In Avatar
Matt explained his refusal stating he thought that him joining the Avatar cast would have caused a problem for Paul Greengrass and his friends on The Bourne Ultimatum.
17. Dave Chappelle Walked Away From A Contract Worth $50 Million
Dave Chappelle who ran his own comedy show was offered $50 million for doing one more season after the 3 he did. Dave was unable to balance his work and personal life hence he refused.
18. Shaquille O’Neal Didn’t Drink Coffee So He Refused To Invest In Starbucks
Shaq to date has a principle of investing in products he believes in or uses. One being advised by his agent to invest in the coffee giant Starbucks, Shaq refused and cited ‘black people don’t need coffee.’
19. Hulk Hogan had the opportunity of making $200 Million by endorsing a grill
Hogan had to pick between endorsing a grill and a meatball maker. Had he chosen the grill, a whopping $200 million was his
20. Kim Kardashian And Kanye West Declined $3 Million For Their Newborn Daughter North’s Photoshoot
When Kim Kardashian and the rapper Kanye West first had their daughter North, many magazines came to the then-new parents with profitable offers for their baby’s photo. However, Kanye was adamant that the baby was his and not America’s.
Share in the comment section the biggest amount of $ you have turned down from somebody!
Source: BoredPanda
