13 Actors Who Got Fired After Asking For A Pay Raise

In the show industry, money is a big topic. Some claim that the salaries of actors are excessive. Others are enamored with the powerful and well-known. Few people understand how all that money is divided. The financial worth of an actor depends on who is valuing them and is based on factors such as talent, audience appeal, qualifications, physical attractiveness, gender, and plain old greed. To put it another way, it's challenging.
Although agents and managers somewhat regulate the procedure, and the Screen Actors Guild is now making it less subjective than in the past, not all financial discussions in Hollywood are successful. We've all heard of the gender wage gap, and we know that many women have asked for and obtained higher pay. It's safe to suppose that many male actors have placed bets on themselves and won, but what about those actors who pushed their luck and lost?
A raise request carries some risk. This is common knowledge. Sure, you could be rejected and shamed, but you also might lose your job. While this extreme reaction might be uncommon in Hollywood, it does occur. The performers on this list lost everything in exchange for a bigger slice of the pie, which caused them to go hungry.

1. Terrence Howard and Marvel

Source: Paramount

In Iron Man, Terrence Howard, who had a three-film agreement with Marvel, played Rhodey/War Machine. He was only given 12.5 percent of the salary he had been promised during sequel discussions. He claimed, "It turns out that the person I helped become Iron Man...took the money that was supposed to go to me and pushed me out," on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
"I phoned my friend, who I assisted in getting the first job, but he didn't call me back for three months, he continued," Don Cheadle replaced Howard in the project due to Howard's departure.

2. Hilary Duff with Disney

Source: Walt Disney Co.

After The Lizzie McGuire Movie became a hit, Hilary Duff began negotiating a sequel with Disney. She was initially guaranteed a $500,000 incentive by Disney after the first film brought in $50 million. Susan Duff, though, desired for her daughter to have the prize right now.
Disney believed they could intimidate us into accepting any deal they wanted to make, but they failed, Susan told Entertainment Weekly. Therefore, Disney decided to revoke the entire sequel deal, losing Hilary the $4 million salary and bonus she would have received.

3. Valerie Harper on Lorimar Productions

Source: Mario Casilli

Valerie Harper played Valerie Hogan in the comedy Valerie from Lorimar Productions for two seasons. She asked for a compensation rise of $100,000 per episode and a 35 percent share of the adjusted gross revenues as the show's ratings rose. As a result of Lorimar's rejection, she ceased showing up for work.
She has previously had success with this strategy. By refusing to go elsewhere, she persuaded CBS to increase her weekly wage from $10,000 to $17,500 before the second season of Rhoda. She returned to the set when they agreed to a compromise of $65,000 per episode and 12.5% of the revenue. But a week later, they let her go.

4. Hugo Weaving in the role of Johann Schmidt/Red Skull

Source: Paramount

Johann Schmidt/Red Skull was portrayed by Hugo Weaving in Captain America: The First Avenger. Additionally, he agreed to a three-picture contract to assure that "the money will climb each time." Directors He was requested to return for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame by Joe and Anthony Russo. The money they gave him, even for two movies, was "far less than [he] earned for the first one."

5. Suzanne Somers on Three's Company

Source: ABC courtesy Everett Collection

For five seasons, Suzanne Somers portrayed Chrissy Snow on Three's Company. She requested a compensation increase in 1980 from $30,000 per episode to $150,000 to equal the income of her co-star John Ritter. But ABC only proposed a $5,000 pay increase.
She allegedly skipped production for the third and fourth episodes of the upcoming season owing to an old back ailment. They were planning to hang a nun in the marketplace, and the nun is Suzanne, Alan Hamel, who received a call from a friend with contacts at the network the day before Somers and her husband/manager returned to renegotiate.
After Somers was sacked from the program, Jenilee Harrison was cast as Chrissy's cousin Cindy Snow.

6. Lauren Cohan on The Walking Dead

Source: AMC

From 2011 until 2018, Lauren Cohan portrayed Maggie Greene on The Walking Dead. It was time to renegotiate with AMC once her initial contract expired. According to reports, she demanded wage parity with her male co-stars.
She told SiriusXM's Andy Cohen Live, "That's very ordinary renegotiation." She was "in some ways astonished" by the discussions, but she "took that, how bewildered [she] was, and thought, 'Okay, well that's a sign. This could just not fit anymore.
She told Entertainment Weekly: "I simply thought, "Okay, well, maybe it signifies something," to feel like we weren't lining up in so many ways. But she also left the door open for her character to return when quitting the program. She came back in 2020 and is still.

7. Robert Duvall in The Godfather and The Godfather Part II.

Source: Paramount Pictures courtesy Everett Collection

Robert Duvall portrayed Tom Hagen in The Godfather and The Godfather Part II. Nevertheless, he opted out of The Godfather Part III due to how much his co-star Al Pacino paid. "I stated that I would work without a problem provided they paid Pacino to double what they paid me. nevertheless, not three or four times as they did, "He informed CBS.

8. Will Smith in Independence Day.

Source: 20th Century Fox Film Corp

Will Smith portrayed Captain Steven Hiller in the 1996 film Independence Day. According to reports, Smith asked for $50 million for a two-picture agreement when director Roland Emmerich submitted concepts for a sequel in 2011.
Independence Day: Resurgence, the first sequel from Emmerich, was released in 2016. Smith was declined, though, "because he's too costly." Liam Hemsworth portrayed the new main character.

9. Maggie Roswell on The Simpsons

Source: Fox

From 1990 through 1999, Maggie Roswell provided Maude Flanders' voice on The Simpsons. She requested a pay increase from $1,500 to $2,000 each episode to $6,000 from Fox. Fox only gave her an additional $150, which wasn't even enough to pay for her airfare from Denver, where she lived, to Los Angeles, where the recording studio was located.
Maude was therefore murdered in the 2,000th episode, "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily," after she resigned. However, Roswell and Fox agreed in 2002. She has continued to portray Maude ever since, both as a ghost and in flashbacks.

10. Bruce Willis in The Expendables and The Expendables 2

Source: Lions Gate

In the films The Expendables and The Expendables 2, Bruce Willis portrayed Mr. Church. In Expendables 3, he was slated to return in the same capacity. He reportedly earned $3 million in his first four days on the Bulgarian set. The performer wanted $4 million, though. Willis left the project because Sylvester Stallone, the director, turned down his request. Harrison Ford was cast in his place after just 72 hours.

11. Benicio del Toro in Star Trek Into Darkness

Source: Paramount

J.J. Abrams' original choice for the role of Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness was actor Benicio del Toro. Del Toro negotiated with Paramount but eventually rejected the offer due to financial considerations. Benedict Cumberbatch was cast in part.

12. Jonah Hill in The Batman

Source: Taylor Hill

To play the Riddler in The Batman, Jonah Hill was in negotiations. He allegedly requested a $10 million pay, double what the lead actor, Robert Pattinson, was paid. Paul Dano was cast in the role after Warner Bros. could not agree.

13. Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man (2002)

Source: ©Columbia Pictures

Peter Parker was portrayed by Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man (2002), although he almost didn't appear in the follow-up. According to rumors, he wanted to discuss a more significant pay for the follow-up. Columbia believed the back issues he claimed to have were a negotiating ploy during pre-production.
As a result, they replaced him with Jake Gyllenhaal, who was at the time seeing Kirsten Dunst, the co-star, and ex-girlfriend of Tobey Maguire. However, Maguire's future father-in-law, Ron Meyer, president of Vivendi Universal at the time, assisted him in reclaiming the part. In the end, he received $17 million for the follow-up.