Buzz
Actors are among the highest-paid individuals in society, particularly those who make it to Hollywood. In fact, any actor working on Screen Actors Guild films (which covers nearly everyone in Hollywood) receives payment, even if they don’t show up in the final cut. Thanks to 'pay-or-play' contracts, many high-profile actors still get paid, even if they don’t end up working on the project at all.
The reasons actors end up being paid for films they never appear in are varied. Some are cut from the final version of the movie, others get fired before the cameras even start rolling, and some, strangely, never had any involvement with the production from the outset.
10. Shailene Woodley, The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Before Tom Holland suited up as Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield was the franchise's main web-slinger in the series that kicked off with The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012 and concluded with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 just two years later. Garfield’s brief stint as Spider-Man has been revisited more positively in recent years, but some of the film's stars didn’t even get a full minute of screen time!
Shailene Woodley, famous for her role in the Divergent series, was cast to play Mary-Jane Watson in the second Amazing Spider-Man. However, her time on set was brief, as she was quickly removed from the film. Director Marc Webb (yes, the puns practically write themselves) shot three scenes featuring Woodley, where her character was intended to be a minor love interest for Garfield’s Peter Parker. But in the end, the director decided to cut her scenes to streamline an already lengthy 142-minute movie. Despite her minimal screen time and the public never seeing her, Woodley still received payment for her efforts on set.
9. Johnny Depp, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
The third entry in the Fantastic Beasts series, The Secrets of Dumbledore, hit theaters in 2022, but by then, much of the franchise’s magic had faded. The film was criticized for its weak writing, unnecessary plotlines, and ongoing public controversies surrounding JK Rowling and her conflict with parts of the trans community. However, the most significant controversy involved Johnny Depp, who had played the antagonist Gellert Grindelwald in the first two films. Amber Heard’s allegations of domestic abuse against Depp, coupled with his legal defeat in a libel case against The Sun newspaper, made headlines.
After the court ruled against Depp, confirming that 12 out of 14 domestic abuse allegations had been substantiated, Fantastic Beasts studio Warner Bros. decided to part ways with the actor and hired Mads Mikkelsen as his replacement. Fortunately for Depp, he had only filmed one scene for The Secrets of Dumbledore. Unfortunately for Warner Bros., Depp’s pay-or-play contract guaranteed him his full salary, a staggering $16 million.
8. Bob Hoskins, The Untouchables
Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables, a gripping crime drama about the team who brought down Al Capone, gathered four of the most iconic actors of the 20th century: Sean Connery, Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, and Andy Garcia. The film has cemented its place in history as one of the finest depictions of the Prohibition era.
While the entire ensemble cast shines, De Niro’s portrayal of Al Capone stands out, as the seasoned actor perfectly captures both the physicality and voice of the notorious gangster. Although De Niro was the first choice for the role, his high demand led De Palma to secure English actor Bob Hoskins as a backup in case De Niro couldn’t commit. When De Niro ultimately took the part, Hoskins thought little of it—until a check for $200,000 arrived with a note that read, “Thanks for your time. Love, Brian.”
7. Paul Rudd, Bridesmaids
It’s rare for a well-known actor to be cut from a movie without a clear reason, but that’s exactly what happened during the editing of Paul Feig’s 2011 comedy blockbuster Bridesmaids. The film brought together comedic legends from SNL, various TV shows, and Judd Apatow’s films (who also produced the project), making it a star-studded affair from the U.S. comedy scene.
However, some of its finest comedic talent never made it to the final cut. Paul Rudd was originally cast to appear as Annie’s (Kristen Wiig) blind date, a man who loses his grip on reality after a child skates over his fingers. Rudd spent a day filming and fully committed to his role, performing pratfalls across an ice rink and throwing out expletives at the kids. Yet, his scene was ultimately cut to keep the movie’s pacing tight and give more screen time to young Blake Garrett, who, according to many, stole the show. Thankfully, due to Screen Actors Guild rules, Rudd still got paid for his time.
6. Kevin Spacey, All the Money in the World
Fantastic Beasts wasn’t the first movie to part ways with an actor over controversies outside the set, but few films have gone to such lengths as All the Money in the World did when it came to completely removing a star from the final cut. The production was nearing the end of post-production when allegations of sexual misconduct were made against Kevin Spacey by fellow actor Anthony Rapp.
Understanding that this scandal could spell disaster for the film, director Ridley Scott wasted no time. He utilized his influence in the industry to secure an additional $10 million in funding and replaced Spacey with Christopher Plummer, who took on the role of billionaire oil magnate J. Paul Getty. Over the course of nine days, the production team filmed 400 new shots across two countries, with digital and practical effects helping seamlessly integrate the new actor into the existing footage. Though Spacey had fulfilled his contract, both actors received compensation, despite only one appearing in the final version of the film.
5. Tim Roth, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood departed from many of Quentin Tarantino’s signature filmic conventions. Rather than relying on excessive violence, the movie focused on a tale about the Manson family murders, mixing tension and contemplative moments, with fewer memorable quips. However, the film still showcased Tarantino’s familiar troupe of actors, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Kurt Russell, Bruce Dern, and other familiar faces from the director's past works.
Tim Roth, a regular collaborator with Quentin Tarantino since Reservoir Dogs, was noticeably missing from the final cut of the film, despite having been paid for his role. Roth had filmed scenes as the British butler of Hollywood hair stylist Jay Sebring (played by Emile Hirsch), but his cameo was so minimal that Tarantino ultimately decided to cut him from the film entirely. Considering the movie's already lengthy runtime of almost three hours, this was probably for the best.
4. Tobey Maguire, Life of Pi
While it’s rare to be cut from a movie for being too famous, that’s exactly what happened to Tobey Maguire during the making of Life of Pi. In Ang Lee’s film adaptation of Yann Martel’s Booker Prize-winning novel, a young Indian boy named Pi (played by Suraj Sharma) ends up stranded in the Pacific Ocean aboard a lifeboat, accompanied only by a tiger named Richard Parker. The story is recounted by an adult Pi (Irrfan Khan), who tells it to a fictionalized version of the author, referred to simply as The Writer.
Initially cast to play the fictionalized Martel, Tobey Maguire was replaced by Rafe Spall after filming began. Director Ang Lee felt that Maguire didn’t suit the role, and the switch was made to better align with the rest of the casting choices, which featured a largely unfamiliar cast to Western audiences—except, perhaps, for Gérard Depardieu's portrayal of the Cook.
3. Eric Stoltz, Back to the Future
Back to the Future is one of the most iconic time-travel sci-fi movies of the 20th century, with its depiction of time travel becoming a standard example of the single, mutable timeline—where altering events in the past leads to changes in the future. This concept is central to the film, which explores the possibility that tampering with history could unintentionally erase one’s existence. For Eric Stoltz, his interpretation of Robert Zemeckis’s script led to him being removed from the production entirely.
Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly, the teenage protagonist, but he brought a tone of melancholy and gloom to the character, interpreting it as a tragedy rather than the lighthearted, comedic role Zemeckis envisioned. When Zemeckis saw that the dailies weren’t generating the intended laughs, and realizing that this casting choice could derail the entire film, he decided to let Stoltz go just six weeks into filming. This decision cost the studio two actors' salaries and added millions to the film’s budget. Fortunately, Michael J. Fox stepped into the role of McFly, and the film went on to become a timeless classic.
2. Michael Biehn, Alien 3
David Fincher’s Alien 3 faced severe criticism from both fans and critics upon its release, largely due to multiple factors: the film didn’t align well with the series’ direction, the studio interfered with Fincher’s creative vision by refusing him the final cut, and the shadow of James Cameron’s and Ridley Scott’s masterpieces loomed too large for a first-time director to escape.
One of the film’s controversial elements was the death of key characters Newt (Carrie Henn) and Hicks (Michael Biehn) early on when an alien egg hatches on their ship and their escape pod crashes on a distant planet. Neither Biehn nor Henn had agreed to return for another installment, so Fincher couldn’t use them. Initially, the production team tried to create a prosthetic version of Biehn based on a facial cast from Aliens, but Biehn caught wind of this and insisted through his agent that his likeness could not be used. Eventually, he agreed to allow it—at a significant cost.
1. Harrison Ford, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Steven Spielberg is synonymous with his beloved family film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, a heartwarming tale about an alien stranded on Earth. However, at the time of its creation, Spielberg was better known for more mature films like Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Naturally, he wanted to bring elements of these earlier films into E.T., but while Close Encounters shares some thematic parallels, E.T. doesn’t quite fit the mold of Indiana Jones.
To make the film feel familiar, Spielberg cast Harrison Ford in an unexpected role as an uptight school principal who scolds the young Elliott (Henry Thomas). Shot from Ford’s perspective in low lighting, this cameo was meant to be a subtle nod to fans, but in the end, the scene was completely cut from the final version of the film.
Spielberg, known for his pragmatic and unsentimental approach to editing, ultimately decided the scene added little to the film’s narrative and chose to leave it on the cutting room floor. While the exact amount Ford was paid for the cameo remains unclear, it’s likely it wasn’t a small sum, given he was fresh off starring in major hits like Raiders, The Empire Strikes Back, and Blade Runner.
