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10 Actors Who Were Paid Almost Nothing For Amazing Roles

They’re used to making millions per movie, but these savvy stars realised that sometimes it’s good to let the bank balance take a hit if the part is worth it.

Harrison Ford in ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ - £27,000

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Imagine if Ford had turned down the chance to play Han Solo in the original ‘Star Wars’? The upcoming actor nearly did just that after he was offered a meagre $1,000 a week to play the smuggler in the first film.

It’s highly unlikely the then-unknown would have really said no, but he did have to make do with $10,000 for his work in 1977, which has been adjusted for inflation here.

Jennifer Lawrence in ‘Winter’s Bone’ - £10,000

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The megastar was initially considered too pretty to play a poor but smart 17-year-old Southern girl in this low-budget 2010 indie, but she campaigned hard for the role.

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It paid off – she scored a Best Actress Oscar nomination, putting herself in the frame for the lucrative ‘Hunger Games’ franchise, and six years later she’s one of the biggest movie stars in the world.

Tom Hanks in ‘Toy Story’ – £35,000

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It certainly wouldn’t have been the case with the sequels, but Hanks got a relatively puny fee to play Woody the cowboy first time around.

Hanks’ ‘Toy Story 3′ payday was rumoured to be around $15m. That’s £10m for doing some talking into a microphone, not bad work if you can get it.

Cate Blanchett in ‘Blue Jasmine’ - £21,000

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Woody Allen famously pays industry minimum to his actors, but since so many of them get Oscars, the stars don’t seem to mind.

Blanchett certainly didn’t and was prepared to take SAG rates, which were approximately $3000 per week for Woody’s usual two months shoot. An Academy Award was her prize.

Bill Murray in ‘Rushmore’ - £6,000

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Murray is a strange chap and it’s often difficult to pinpoint why he picks one project over another.

He clearly spotted something in Wes Anderson though, agreeing to play one of his greatest characters in the director’s sophomore effort for scale. The comedian got some of his best notices for years and the pair have continued their relationship to this day.

Mickey Rourke in ‘The Wrestler’ - £69,000

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Mickey Rourke joined the critically acclaimed drama at the last minute after Nicholas Cage pulled out, but he was warned by director Darren Aronofsky early on “there’s no money”.

The mercurial actor agreed to play Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson in a bid to revitalise his career, which it did (albeit briefly) earning him an Oscar nom. Rourke asked for his modest wages in a brown paper bag.

Robin Williams in ‘One Hour Photo’ – £35,000

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Clearly trying to break out of his schmaltzy persona, the late star took on two bad guys in a single year (this and Christopher Nolan’s ‘Insomnia) and this odd photoshop employee finagling his way into a happy family’s life was definitely the most creepy.

Williams just had to take a pay cut for the privilege of going evil.

Hilary Swank in ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ - £2,000

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Swank’s career was in the doldrums in 1999, known primarily for appearing in a rubbish ‘Karate Kid’ sequel and for getting fired from ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’.

Which is probably why she was prepared to take such a pittance to play tragic transgender murder victim Brandon Teena in this acclaimed indie. She won her first Oscar for her performance.

Dustin Hoffman in ‘The Graduate’ – £83,000

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Incredibly, despite launching his career with one of the best films of all-time, Hoffman’s fee of $17,000 (adjusted above for inflation) was scarcely enough to pay off his debts and soon after it finished shooting he was back collecting unemployment benefits.

Luckily, when the film came out he was one of the hottest properties in Hollywood and was able to finally get off the dole.

Tom Cruise in ‘Magnolia’ – £69,000

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As part of the $30million club, it must have been a shock for Tom to get 0.33% of that for playing a misogynistic life coach in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 drama.

We just wish when he’s this good, we wish he would do it more often.

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Image credits: Rex_Shutterstock, Lucasfilm