Updated ·2-min read
“Show me the money!”
It’s the quote that defined Hollywood juggernaut Tom Cruise’s career in the 1990s. And, according to new analysis, he made around US$28,364 for just those four words.
Earning US$7,091 (AU$11,026) per spoken word in his films, Cruise earns the most per word in Hollywood.
Analysis from online betting group Casumo found that over his career, Cruise has earned his fortune by claiming a percentage of profits from each Mission Impossible instalment, as well as, or in lieu of his usual salary.
“A-list actors are some of the most well-paid people in society, commanding huge salaries for even the briefest of movie cameos… but how much are they earning for each word they say onscreen?” Casumo said.
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“We analysed the word counts of star-studded film scripts to find out which of the most famous actors and actresses were paid the most per word spoken in their iconic roles.”
Kurt Russell is the second-highest paid actor per word, taking home US$5,682 per spoken word, mainly due to his enormous salary for the film Soldier.
“For the starring role of Todd in the film Soldier, Kurt Russell was paid US$15 million, which equates to an impressive US$36,855 for each of the 407 words spoken by him onscreen,” Casumo said.
Despite not having made a movie since 2014, Cameron Diaz is the highest paid actress per word, earning $4,637 per word.
“Cameron Diaz took a comparatively meagre US$1 million upfront salary for Bad Teacher in exchange for a percentage of the film’s profits – a decision that awarded her US$42 million,” Casumo said.
By film, Julia Roberts earned the most. She scored a huge US$10 million salary for her role as Tess Ocean in the film Ocean’s Eleven. That means that for each of her 685 words spoken in that film, she made US$14,599.
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