A luxurious lifestyle is often an image displayed by celebrities, whether local or international.
However, the luxury that is highlighted comes with effort and fatigue that needs to be experienced first. Building a big name has to start from the bottom.
Here are five actors who dared to take risks that ended up paying off big financially and in their career journey.
1. Harrison Ford (Star Wars Episode 1: A New Hope)
Harrison Ford name is now famous as the player of many iconic characters in the film industry, but his career still began after playing the role of ‘Han Solo’ in the first Star Wars film.
The film at that time did not line up famous actors but rather relied heavily on a cast of actors who had not made a name for themselves, including Ford himself.
In the initial agreement, Ford was offered the role at a salary of $1,000 a week. He initially rejected it before agreeing – allowing him to work for 10 weeks giving him a total income of $10,000.
This amount, however, does not take into account the royalty allocation of 0.5% received.
The film’s cast was fortunate and the film blew up, giving Ford an additional $2 million in revenue as a result of strong box office receipts.
2. Brad Pitt (Thelma and Louise)
Chosen to be a supporting actor in a film lined up with two big names namely Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis in the film ‘Thelma and Louise’, Brad Pitt was only 26 years old when he was still looking for a beat in the film industry around 1991.
After more than a decade of accompanying drama and film careers failed to open up big opportunities for him, Pitt chose to accept the film offer despite only being paid $6,000 for the entire production.
The film was a huge success for all involved, receiving six nominations at the Academy Awards and winning the best screenplay award.
Brad Pitt’s handsome face began to become the delirium of girls after which it became a stepping stone for him to start a career as a high-caliber actor in Hollywood.
3. Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween)
‘Halloween’ is now an iconic film that is said to be the template for many mystery films of the modern era.
Made as a low-budget film with a total budget of only $325,000 – the film not only introduced us to the famous villain Michael Myers but also launched Curtis’ career as a Hollywood star.
To act in the film, Curtis agreed to be paid $2,000 a week with a 4-week production, giving him $8,000 for the entire job.
He was also given only $200 to buy himself a costume that he felt suited his character.
The film was released in 1978, becoming Curtis’ first film – grossing $45 million.
Curtis continued the momentum, starring in several horror films after that and the ‘Halloween film series is still being produced today.
4. Hilary Swank (Boys Don’t Cry)
The story of how Hilary Swank changed her career should be studied by every individual.
When he was only 24 years old, Swank made the decision to accept an offer to produce a film that exposed sensitive issues related to transgender.
Swank hopes the risk of taking on the character will change his career, which has struggled with TV drama production and is going nowhere.
‘Boys Don’t Cry’ exploded despite the film’s budget constraints as Swank won the Academy Award for best actress, elevating her status as an artist.
For the entire production of the film, Swank was only paid $3,000 but clearly the sacrifice he agreed to was commensurate with the career boom he had received.
5. Mel Gibson (Mad Max)
Mel Gibson is one of the big names who really started his career from the bottom.
For the first character played in the movie called ‘Summer City’, Gibson only received a fee of $400!!
However, the film ‘Mad Max’ changed not only his career but also the director of the film, George Miller, until he became a big name.
Filmed on a budget of only around AUD400,000, ‘Mad Max’ was released in 1979, successfully collecting more than $100 million at the box office worldwide.
Mel Gibson was only paid $15,000 as the main star of the film, forcing him to continue to live frugally for the next few years still struggling in the Australian film industry.
But the film’s legacy is beginning to rise.
Gibson’s career began to change, successfully getting paid more than $1 million the first time he played the same role in the third film of the Mad Max trilogy, ‘Beyond Thunderdome.’