10 Actors Who Were Paid Almost Nothing For Great Roles
9. Jeff Daniels - $50,000 (Dumb And Dumber)
When we think of Dumb and Dumber, we instantly think of the pairing of Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. Their combined comedic chemistry is what makes the film work, and is one of the main reasons why it spawned such a long-lasting cultural legacy.
But behind-the-scenes, the two actors weren't on even footing at all. Not even close. While Jim Carrey was paid an eye-watering $7 million for his starring role - a result of the success of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective - Daniels, who was already a respected actor at the time, earned a ridiculously low $50,000 for the same amount of work.
This huge pay gap came about because the studio didn't want to cast Daniels in the film, but the directors did. So, the big-wigs offered him $50,000 in the hopes that he would refuse, and they could go and get an actor who they did want. But Daniels scuppered that plan (and shocked them) when he said yes.
Daniels could've easily refused, but he openly agreed to that $50,000 sum. Thankfully, the move paid off in the end, when the film blew up and became a big box-office hit.