12 Actors Whose Massive Pay Cuts And Salary Donations Will Leave You In Awe

It is no doubt that Hollywood actors get paid so many millions for a single role. They earn fame and wealth, and some of them have spent their big bucks on clothes, cars, mansions, luxurious parties and elegant habits. Still, many other actors, who are known as warm-hearted people, decide to donate hundreds of thousands of millions of dollars to have the movie done or give away their pay from the movie to social activities.
That’s why we come to watch their movies not only to see our beloved actors on the big screen but also to support warm-hearted people with their meaningful contributions to society. Below are 12 actors whose pay cuts and salary donations will leave you speechless. Scroll down to check them out, and let us know which is the most impressive story in the comment section!

#1 Brendan Fraser

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In 2013, the actor starred in the film Gimme Shelter, which deals with the problem of abandonment and homelessness. After the series ended, Fraser donated his entire salary to Some Source Shelters. They are the real-life shelters on which the film is based, and his stellar act inspired his co-star, James Earl Jones, to donate a significant portion of his salary to the same organization.

#2 Ryan Reynolds

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While making Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds felt he needed screenwriters Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese to shoot with him. He worked with them for 6 years before filming started. However, the studio refused to pay them, so Reynolds decided to pay them himself.

#3 Chadwick Boseman

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After Chadwick Boseman passed away, his co-star in the blockbuster 21 Bridges, Sienna Miller, described how he made sure she got paid what she asked for, revealing: “This was a pretty big-budget film, and I know that everybody understands the pay disparity in Hollywood, but I asked for a number that the studio wouldn’t get to. I said, 'I'll do it if I'm well compensated.' And Chadwick ended up donating part of his salary to get me to the number I asked for.
The actress went on, “It’s just unfathomable to imagine another man in that town behaving that graciously or respectfully. In the aftermath of this, I’ve told other male actor friends of mine that story, and they all go very, very quiet and go home and probably have to sit and think about things for a while.”

#4 Michael Sheen

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While making Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds felt he needed screenwriters Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese to shoot with him. He worked with them for 6 years before filming started. However, the studio refused to pay them, so Reynolds decided to pay them himself.

#5 George Clooney

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Good Night, and Good Luck is a movie starring, co-written and directed by a famous actor. So to get his passion project done, he accepted an upfront payment of just $120,000. We don't know if he received any rewards from the film's theatrical success, but the film received rave reviews. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his directing work.

#6 Keanu Reeves

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While making The Devil's Advocate, Reeves was offered several million dollars to star in the movie. However, to get Al Pacino to be his co-star, Reeves decided to give up most of his multi-million dollar money so that the studio could afford to hire Pacino. It was simply because he too wanted to act alongside the iconic actor and didn't mind making much less money.

#7 Timothée Chalamet

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When the young actor decided to star in Woody Allen's A Rainy Day in New York, many people complained. And while the movie was successfully completed, the actor later decided to donate his entire salary to 3 different charities, including an LGBT center. “I don’t want to profit from my work on the film. As a young actor, I took this role, trying to walk in the footsteps of more seasoned actors I admire,” he said.

#8 Ethan Hawke

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When Ethan Hawke was offered a role in the purge, the money he received was meager. However, it is said that he will make a decent amount from the film's profits. He accepted the role, believing in the film and its director, and his bet was successful because the film made $34 million on opening night. That's amazing if you take into account that the entire film's budget was $3 million, and Hawke slept on a couch for the duration of filming.

#9 Will Smith

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For the lead role in King Richard, it is said that Will Smith made up to $40 million. However, when the studio decides to stream the movie on HBO Max, it means the rest of the cast will lose their theatrical bonus. That's why the actor agreed to pay them a sum out of his own pocket. He wrote checks for actors Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, Jon Bernthal, and Aunjanue Ellis, among others.

#10 Jennifer Lopez

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She may be one of the biggest pop stars in the world, but Jennifer Lopez is not upfront with Hustlers. She produced and starred in it and only received a bonus from the film's profits, explaining, "I don't get paid a ton for Hustlers. I did it for free and produced it. Like Jenny From the Block — I do what I love.”
The actress went on, “This is our movie, where we run things. They know it’s all women producers, directors, writers, and women starring in it. We’ve been watching men take advantage of women in movies for a long time, so it was a fun ride to see the tables turned.”

#11 Jonah Hill

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Jonah Hill wanted so much to work on The Wolf of Wall Street with director Martin Scorsese that he decided to take home very little money. For his entire work in the film, he was only paid $60,000, while Leonardo DiCaprio earned about $10 million.
“They gave me the lowest amount of money possible. That was their offer, and I said, ’I will sign the paper tonight. Fax them the documents tonight. I want to sign them tonight before they change their mind. I want to sign them before I go to sleep tonight, so they legally can’t change their mind,’” the actor disclosed.

#12 The Big Bang Theory cast

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Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Kunal Nayyar, and Simon Helberg each made $1 million per episode. However, their co-stars, Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch make less than a quarter of that. That's why the original actors put out $100,000 of their own money per episode so that their 2 co-stars could get a raise. That means they will get $450,000 per episode.