10 Actors Who Were Paid Almost Nothing For Great Roles

2. Toby Papworth - $50 (Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2)

Wolf Of Wall Street Jonah Hill
Warner Bros

Having a great role in a movie doesn't require an actor to be in the majority of its scenes, or even to have many lines. Toby Papworth had a once-in-a-lifetime role as Baby Harry in the final film of the epic wizarding saga with barely any screen time and no lines, and yet, it's something he'll be able to brag about for the rest of his life.

What he won't be able to brag about, however, is the paycheque he received for his performance (if babies can even give performances to begin with).

For his role as teeny-tiny Potter in Deathly Hallows Part 2, Papworth received just £40 - which, when converted, hovers somewhere around the $50 mark - a minuscule percentage of the billion dollars that the film grossed at the box-office. What's even crazier about this is that his mother was paid £90 for taking the time to bring him to set, more than double the amount her son got for actually being behind the camera.

As we mentioned though, the bragging rights Papworth has earned for playing Harry Potter will surely be payment enough, in the long run.

Contributor
Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for almost nine years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. He has been writing and video editing for 10+ years, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers and uploading them to YouTube (they're admittedly a bit rusty by today's standards). If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order or to tell you about the making of 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks, Danny is the person to ask.