“He took no money”: Tom Hanks Shot Steven Spielberg’s Movie, That Won 5 Oscars, Without Any Guaranteed Money
The ways of the greats are seldom understood by many. One such great artist is Steven Spielberg. The esteemed director has generated billions at the box office with his movies. From Harrison Ford to Tom Cruise, the director has served hit after hit with many A-Listers. But in an interview, Spielberg revealed that he doesn’t prefer working with big stars, and if he does, he intentionally makes sure that they work on his terms, which is quite a bit strange. He presents his movie stars with one condition, a gamble they must take to work with him.
Tom Hanks Risked Getting Paid While Working with Steven Spielberg
The bigger the star, the larger their fees. A large portion of the whole film budget often goes to its actor’s salary. Spielberg revealed that he doesn’t pay his actors up front but encourages them to take it off of the film’s profit. This is a risky scenario as the film’s performance will directly influence how much one earns.
Many stars agree to honor this point of view of Spielberg. Tom Hanks did the same while working in the highly acclaimed 1998 film Saving Private Ryan. Spielberg mentioned this anecdote in an interview:
“He took no money up front at all, not a cent, and no guarantee that he will get money if the film doesn’t perform, Tom Hanks took no cash for Saving Private Ryan but he made a lot of money on his profit participation.”
It surely is a risky territory. Hence Spielberg always urges the big stars to do this as they’re the ones who can afford it. Not all agree but some find working with Spielberg worth the risk.
Steven Spielberg Doesn’t Pay Himself For His Movies
Steven Spielberg is a man of admirable integrity and values. When he urges his actors not to take their salary prior to the film’s release; he himself doesn’t either. This certainly has caused him to not get paid or not enough sometimes but that’s a price he is willing to pay. Spielberg explains:
“I haven’t worked with many movie stars – 80 percent 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.”
Spielberg often doesn’t take any money the film makes himself. He either donates it to charity or to his Shoah Foundation. Truly a man well-bred and beyond deserving of the respect he receives.
Source: Showbiz CheatSheet
