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Although commanding a net worth of $9.5 billion himself, Steven Spielberg still practices a pattern that most filmmakers would be horrified to even think about – gambling with their salaries. But given his talent for innovation, originality, and creativity, Spielberg has seldom had to suffer for choosing to not be paid upfront by studios before getting started on a project.
With a record of directing critically acclaimed and commercially successful films, Steven Spielberg has amassed something far greater in worth than 9.5 billion dollars. His reputation and legacy have become an untouchable object of fascination, awe, and wonder while his films have become the standard against which all of the greatest modern cinematic creations are measured.
But Spielberg’s eye for greatness also comes with an expensive price tag for the actors.
Steven Spielberg gambles with Hollywood actors
Not every director with a legacy to their name deserves to be worshipped and deified by the audience and the industry. Only a few such asSteven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and Christopher Nolan have been able to achieve such uniform success and universal acclaim that actors, critics, and fans always know they are in for a treat while stepping into one of their films.
But the onlytrait that separates Spielberg from the restof the aforementioned is his weird apathy toward getting paid upfront for a movie – a habit that he giddily and unapologetically enforces upon his actors as well.
“I used to lie…”: Real Secret Behind Steven Spielberg’s $9.5 Billion Fortune is a Person Who Helped Him Bunk School to Make Movies
In an interview withThe New Zealand Herald, Spielberg claimed:
I haven’t worked with many movie stars – 80 per cent of my films don’t have movie stars – and I’ve told them if they want to work with me, I want them to gamble along with me. I haven’t taken a salary in 18 years for a movie, so if my film makes no money, I get no money. They should be prepared to do the same.
While this may be true, Hollywood is an industry that does not blend well with being economical. Spielberg can afford to ask such a high price of his actors only because ofhis legacy in the industry, his rate of success, and his statistically unfailing ability to deliver critical and commercial blockbusters.
Steven Spielberg and his sandbox of eccentricities
Steven Spielberg has transformed into a certified movie genius with the body of work that he has created since his debut in the 1970s. From being the first director whose movie crossed the $100 million milestone to being thedriving force behind classics likeStar Wars,Indiana Jones, andJurassic Park, Spielberg has stepped over the threshold from being a director to a legend.
Star Wars: How Steven Spielberg’s Secret Contribution to ‘Revenge of the Sith’ Made Two of its Heart-wrenching Scenes More Difficult to Watch
In his weird effort to establish a rule regarding actors and their salaries, Spielberg has never had to confront any of them when a movie decidedly bombed at the box office.The price of working with Steven Spielbergis such a wealthy commodity in Hollywood that his reputation alone covers the losses incurred by a film failing to do well among fans and critics.
In the same interview withThe New Zealand Herald, the director revealed:
[Tom Cruise] took no money up front at all, not a cent, and no guarantee that he will get money if [Minority Report] doesn’t perform. Tom Hanks took no cash for Saving Private Ryan but he made a lot of money on his profit participation.
Steven Spielberg’s films have garnered billions of dollars at the box office in ticket sales alone. Films likeIndiana JonesandJurassic Parkare still highly profitable projects despite existing in a bygone era. The classical and timeless nature of Spielberg’s vision is what makes the director such a successful artist. Understandably, actors would be readily enamored and inspired to work with him, despite the high-stakes no-pay risk of making a Steven Spielberg movie.
Diya Majumdar
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2408
Diya Majumdar is a Senior Content Writer at FandomWire with over 2000 published articles on the website. Since 2022, she has been working as an entertainment journalist with a special focus on films and pop culture.Among the countless genres and themes of Hollywood, the ones that particularly favor Diya’s tastes include Game of Thrones, DC, and well-aged thrillers and classics.
