Being an actor in Hollywood can give you fame and fortune, even more so if he or she is an A-lister. Most actors pick their roles in a movie very carefully so it wouldn’t tarnish the reputation that they have already established. However, at the end of the day, acting is a job like any other, which means even A-list actors take roles mainly for the money, regardless of the quality of the film.
With that said, here are some famous actors who admittedly took roles because the price was right.
'Rush Hour': Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan is only one of a handful of Asians who made it big in Hollywood.
Chan has a unique talent of combining his martial arts with his comedic prowess that has been entertaining audiences for decades including such films as “The Karate Kid,” “The Spy Next Door” and even performed voice acting in “Kung Fu Panda.”
His most famous role was in the film “Rush Hour” as Detective Inspector Lee and it was a box office hit in 1998. So much so, that the film has spawned several sequels.
It may have been Chan’s most successful film, however, it’s also the film he hated the most. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, he said that he took the role for no reasons other than the paycheck.
'Guardians of the Galaxy': Glenn Close
Glenn Close is one of the most recognizable actors in Hollywood, which is why she was given a role in the film “Guardians of the Galaxy” as Irani Rael to add more star power to the movie.
However, Close admitted that she only took the role mainly for the paycheck in an interview during the 18th Nantucket Film Festival. She said that upon accepting the role as Irani Rael, she could then afford to take roles in smaller films she really wanted to do.
'Airplane': Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is not exactly an A-lister in Hollywood, although this former NBA star turned actor did have enough star power to be cast in a role in the classic comedy film “Airplane.”
He was reportedly offered $30,000 to take the role of Roger Murdock in the film, which is a lot of money in the 1980’s.
However, Abdul-Jabbar’s agent turned down the offer and asked for $35,000, the reason? Because that’s exactly how much the oriental rug cost that Abdul-Jabbar wanted to buy.
'Swordfish': Halle Berry
The action crime film “Swordfish” was panned by critics. The most entertaining scene in the film, at least for male audiences, was the part when Halle Berry was shown topless.
Berry was reportedly paid two million dollars for the role of Ginger Knowles in the film. At first, she was reluctant to do the infamous topless scene. However, she changed her mind after being offered a bonus of $500,000 for just that particular scene.
