10 Stars Paid for Films They Never Appeared In!

Hollywood is a land of dreams, big paychecks, and sometimes, peculiar situations. Believe it or not, some of your favorite actors have pocketed hefty sums for movies you never saw them in. It’s true! Thanks to things like ‘pay-or-play’ contracts, an actor can get paid even if their role gets cut or the film never even starts shooting with them.

The reasons are diverse: sometimes scenes are axed in editing, actors are fired before filming begins, or, in some truly baffling cases, they weren’t even directly involved with the production to begin with. Let’s dive into 10 fascinating stories of actors who got paid for films they ultimately weren’t in.

Shailene Woodley, The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Before Tom Holland was swinging through New York, Andrew Garfield was our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Shailene Woodley, known for the Divergent series, was cast as Mary-Jane Watson. Director Marc Webb filmed three scenes with her, planning for MJ to be a minor character and a secondary love interest for Peter Parker.

However, to streamline the already lengthy 142-minute movie, Webb decided to cut her scenes entirely. Even though her on-set time was short and audiences never saw her performance, Woodley still received her paycheck for her commitment. ^[1]

Johnny Depp, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

The Secrets of Dumbledore, the third film in the Fantastic Beasts series, faced several controversies, including one surrounding Johnny Depp, who played Gellert Grindelwald in the first two movies. Following domestic abuse allegations and a lost libel case against a UK newspaper, Warner Bros. decided to part ways with Depp.

Depp had only filmed one scene for the movie when the decision was made. Mads Mikkelsen was brought in to replace him. Fortunately for Depp, his pay-or-play contract ensured he received his full salary for the film – a staggering M. ^[2]

Bob Hoskins, The Untouchables

Brian De Palma’s classic crime film, The Untouchables, boasted a star-studded cast including Sean Connery, Kevin Costner, and Robert De Niro as Al Capone. De Niro was the top choice for Capone, but his busy schedule meant De Palma needed a backup plan. English actor Bob Hoskins agreed to step in if De Niro couldn’t make it.

Ultimately, De Niro took the role, delivering an iconic performance. Hoskins likely thought little more of it until a check for 0,000 arrived in the mail. Accompanying it was a note from De Palma: “Thanks for your time. Love, Brian.” A pretty sweet deal for not having to film a single scene! ^[3]

Paul Rudd, Bridesmaids

The 2011 comedy hit Bridesmaids was packed with comedic talent. It’s surprising to learn that even more star power was initially involved. Paul Rudd filmed a cameo as Annie’s (Kristen Wiig) disastrous blind date, a character who hilariously loses his cool when a child skates over his fingers at an ice rink.

Rudd spent a day filming the sequence, reportedly giving an energetic and funny performance. However, director Paul Feig cut the scene to keep the movie’s narrative focused and to give more screen time to child actor Blake Garrett, who was apparently a comedic gem. Thanks to Screen Actors Guild rules, Rudd still got paid for his day’s work. ^[4]

Kevin Spacey, All the Money in the World

Few films have gone to such lengths to remove an actor as All the Money in the World. Filming had wrapped, and the movie was in post-production when serious sexual misconduct allegations surfaced against Kevin Spacey, who played J. Paul Getty. Director Ridley Scott acted swiftly to save his film.

Scott secured an extra M in funding and recast Christopher Plummer in Spacey’s role. They reshot 400 scenes over nine days across two countries, using digital and practical effects to seamlessly integrate Plummer. Since Spacey had completed his work and fulfilled his contract, both he and Plummer were paid, despite only Plummer appearing in the final cut. ^[5]

Tim Roth, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood featured many of his regular collaborators. One familiar face, Tim Roth, who has worked with Tarantino since Reservoir Dogs, was paid for the film but didn’t make the final cut. Roth filmed scenes as the British butler to Jay Sebring (Emile Hirsch).

His role was intended as a cameo. However, with the film already approaching a three-hour runtime, Tarantino decided to remove Roth’s part to keep the story tighter. Given the movie’s length, this decision was perhaps understandable, but Roth still received his compensation. ^[6]

Tobey Maguire, Life of Pi

It’s unusual for an actor to be removed from a film for being too famous, but that’s precisely what happened to Tobey Maguire in Ang Lee’s Life of Pi. The film tells the story of Pi Patel, a young man stranded on a lifeboat with a tiger. The narrative is framed by an adult Pi (Irrfan Khan) recounting his tale to a writer.

Maguire was initially cast as the fictionalized version of author Yann Martel. However, after filming began, Lee felt Maguire’s star power was distracting and inconsistent with the rest of the cast, who were largely unknown to Western audiences (except perhaps Gérard Depardieu). Rafe Spall, a less recognizable actor, replaced him. Maguire, of course, was still paid. ^[7]

Harrison Ford, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Steven Spielberg’s iconic family film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial almost featured a subtle cameo from one of his biggest stars, Harrison Ford. At the time, Spielberg was known for more adult fare like Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark. He cast Ford, fresh off Raiders, as the school principal who reprimands young Elliott.

The scene was shot over Ford’s shoulder in dim lighting, intended as an Easter egg for observant fans. However, Spielberg, known for his decisive editing, felt the scene didn’t add significantly to the film and cut it. While the exact sum Ford received is unknown, given his star status at the time, it wouldn’t have been insignificant. ^[8]

Michael Biehn, Alien 3

David Fincher’s Alien 3 faced criticism for several reasons, including the early demise of beloved legacy characters Newt and Corporal Hicks (Michael Biehn). Neither Biehn nor Carrie Henn (Newt) had signed on for the sequel, so Fincher couldn’t use the actors directly for new scenes showing their deaths.

The production team initially planned to use a facial cast of Biehn taken during the making of Aliens to create a prosthetic for a corpse. Biehn discovered this and had his agent contact the studio, asserting they couldn’t use his likeness without permission and compensation. Ultimately, he agreed to let them use his image, but only for a substantial fee. ^[9]

Eric Stoltz, Back to the Future

Back to the Future is a beloved sci-fi classic, but its path to the big screen had a major bump. Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly. However, Stoltz approached the role with a much darker, more serious tone than director Robert Zemeckis envisioned for the family-friendly comedy.

After six weeks of filming, Zemeckis and the producers grew concerned that Stoltz’s dramatic interpretation wasn’t yielding the comedic results they needed. They made the difficult decision to fire Stoltz and recast the role. This added millions to the budget and meant paying two actors for one part. Michael J. Fox then stepped in, creating the iconic Marty McFly we know and love, and the rest, as they say, is history. ^[10]

These stories offer a fascinating glimpse into the complexities of filmmaking. From creative decisions to unforeseen controversies, many factors can lead to an actor being paid for a role the audience never sees. It’s a reminder that in Hollywood, sometimes the biggest drama happens off-screen!