Why do actors get paid so much? (2025)

FAQs

Why do actors get paid so much money? ›

Celebrities often get paid large sums of money because they have a large audience and their talents, image, and brand have significant commercial value. They can command high fees for acting in movies and TV shows, appearing in advertisements, endorsing products, and performing in concerts.

Actors are paid a wide variety of wages, determined by such things as their level of fame, expertise, agent/representation and type of work. Given that some actors are paid millions, while others work for free, it is difficult to determine exactly how much actors get paid.

Performers say the annual pay they've come to rely on, which is based on residuals from movie and television appearances, has plummeted in the age of streaming, making it impossible for the vast majority of actors to earn a living.

Jackie Tohn, known for her role as Melanie "MelRose" Rosen on the Netflix series "GLOW," said people outside of the industry need to understand the reality that most actors do not get paid for about 98% of the work they put into their careers.

While some actors get paid very well, others need to work second or third jobs to survive. Getting to the point where you can earn enough to live entirely off of your acting is difficult—but for the lucky and talented, it's also doable.

The median hourly wage for actors was $20.50 in May 2023. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.

SAG rates are based on the budget of the film, which projects must pay union actors. Every major film and television studio in Hollywood operates under a SAG-AFTRA contract, so those minimums apply; agents negotiate more for their clients if necessary.

Swings (understudy for multiple roles): $116.15, or $20 if partial swing. Understudy (lead): $60. Understudy (chorus): $17.50.

SAG-AFTRA actors have stopped working on TV and film productions following the decision to strike. One of the reasons the actors are striking is to demand fairer compensation for their work. Some actors are speaking out about how little they were paid for appearing on popular shows.

Celebrities get paid so much because they are part of social media platforms, films, TV shows, and productions that generate a lot of money. Here are some of the top reasons celebrities earn a lot of money: The creative endeavors they are involved with make a lot of money (films, music, TV, etc.).

Are actors as rich as we think? ›

SAG-AFTRA's president, Fran Drescher, pushed back on the notion that all actors are wealthy, saying that a vast majority “are just working people just trying to make a living just trying to pay their rent, just trying to put food on the table and get their kids off to school.”

Actors get paid so much because they are part of films, TV shows, and productions that generate a ton of money. Audiences grow to love and want to see more and more specific actors in films and TV shows.

Being an actor is no doubt a difficult path. Above all, it's an inner calling. Actors act for the love of telling stories, of sharing experiences and discovering new ones, of being able to connect with and inspire people. To be able to make a living while doing that is a blessing.

Athletes and actors and actresses get paid based on the interest level of their skill and their product, as well as other actors and actresses along the same level. Without the players, there is no product. Without the actors, there are no hollywood blockbusters.

As of May 2022, actors in the US film industry received a median hourly wage of $16.70, while writers and authors received more than triple that at $62.38 median hourly pay.