10 Actors Who Only Accepted A Role For The Money

Look, actors have to eat too, and all the arthouse and award season favorite projects they do aren't always going to pay the bills. To put it simply, just as we all do jobs that we don't necessarily feel personally invested in, actors can also take on work primarily for the associated salary. This distinction doesn't take away from the work itself, and certainly doesn't diminish our own feelings for it, but it serves as an amusing reminder of the value of the dollar. If anything, it helps humanize the actors involved with the knowledge that they too have to make their own ends meet.

Whether it's celebrated, award-winning actors or beloved character actors looking for the next project, regardless of the material, all actors play a role only for the money in their career. Many of these actors have been forthcoming about their primary motivation for joining a project, with their financial honesty somewhat refreshing. Some of these projects are fairly obvious, thanks to their subpar quality, while others are celebrated performances that exceeded their payout-based origins. 

Here are 10 actors who only accepted a role for the money.

The late Gene Hackman was one of the greatest actors of all time, and he was in high demand throughout the '70s. One of Hackman's biggest movies of that decade was 1972's "The Poseidon Adventure," produced by disaster movie guru Irwin Allen. Hackman starred as Frank Scott, a pastor who leads passengers on an ocean liner that is flipped upside-down by a tsunami. The movie made well over $100 million on a $4.7 million production budget and made a huge impression on moviegoers by legitimizing an entire movie genre. It also had quite an influence on a young Ben Stiller.

Stiller went on to work with Hackman on the 2001 movie "The Royal Tenenbaums," finding Hackman to be "an intimidating guy." After finally working up the courage, Stiller confessed to Hackman how much seeing "The Poseidon Adventure" meant to him as a filmmaker. After a pause, Hackman remarked that the 1972 film had been little more to him than a "money job." Though Stiller described his personal reaction to the revelation (via Vanity Fair) as "shattered," it doesn't diminish Hackman's work in the disaster epic.

While the original 1980 "Friday the 13th" was a career launching pad for Kevin Bacon, the biggest established actor at the time to appear in the film was Betsy Palmer. A veteran stage and screen actor approximately 30 years into her career, Palmer plays Pamela Voorhees, mother of the then-presumed deceased Jason. Pamela is revealed to be the murderer in the first movie by its ending, decapitated as she tries to continue her killing spree. Though Pamela Voorhees became Palmer's most iconic role, she was more motivated by the paycheck than the quality of the script.

Palmer was paid $10,000 for 10 days' worth of work, filmed on location at a camp in New Jersey. Palmer felt "Friday the 13th" to be subpar and was convinced no one would see it, accepting the role to replace her recently broken-down car. The following year's "Friday the 13th Part 2" marked Palmer's final time in the role, but just for a brief cameo. Though Palmer's on-screen legacy was revived by her slasher villain part, it wasn't the nuance of Pamela Voorhees that led her to sign on.

English actor Laurence Olivier has left an indelible mark on his craft, from his 11 Academy Award nominations to having London's highest stage acting award named in his honor. Capable of disappearing into any role, Olivier starred in numerous celebrated movies during his screen work spanning nearly 60 years. One blemish in his largely immaculate filmography came late in his career, with 1981's "Inchon," with Olivier starring as General Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War. One of the key figures behind the production was South Korean Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, who wanted to highlight MacArthur as a man of faith.

What resulted was one of the worst war movies of all time, with both its dramatic and battle sequences laughably executed. The universally negative reviews led "Inchon" to be yanked quickly from theaters, with the movie ultimately receiving no official home video release. Asked why he would agree to starring in such a clear trainwreck of a production, Olivier left little illusion of his monetary-oriented motivations. "I've got nothing to leave my family but the money I can make from films," Olivier retorted. "Nothing is beneath me if it pays well."

English actor Michael Caine has been working in the industry since the 1950s, starring in some of the best and worst movies ever made. 1987's "Jaws: The Revenge" certainly qualifies among the latter, as the fourth, and hopefully final, film in the killer shark franchise. Caine plays Hoagie, a pilot caught up in the widowed Ellen Brody's (Lorraine Gray) vendetta against the great white shark terrorizing her family. As Hoagie strikes up a romance with Ellen, they face the shark for a harrowing showdown in the Bahamas.

Caine has since dismissed "Jaws: The Revenge" as one of the worst movies he ever did, refusing to watch the finished film. Caine noted that he was paid a million dollars for two weeks' worth of work, enticing his participation. Caine remarked that, even though he hadn't seen the movie itself, he had instead "seen the house it bought my mother, and it's marvelous." That Caine's mother got some joy from the experience almost makes this underwater trainwreck bearable to watch.

Celebrated actor Al Pacino's breakout role was starring as mob boss heir apparent Michael Corleone in "The Godfather." Pacino followed up this movie's success with the similarly acclaimed sequel "The Godfather Part II" in 1974, cementing his place among cinematic royalty. However, when Pacino reunited with filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola for 1990's "The Godfather Part III," audiences felt the sequel was a tremendous step down in quality from its predecessors. In his memoir "Sonny Boy," Pacino revealed the real reason he reprised his role as Corleone in "The Godfather Part III" was because he and Coppola both needed the money.

Pacino had taken a four-year break from acting on-screen after the embarrassing critical and commercial failure of his 1985 period piece epic "Revolution." The extended hiatus, including Pacino's self-admitted poor money management, led him to return to the screen, starting with the 1989 crime thriller "Sea of Love." Decades later, Pacino accepted a small role in Adam Sandler's maligned 2011 comedy "Jack and Jill" as he was similarly cash-strapped at the time. While Pacino is one of the all-time acting greats, even financial circumstances lead him to questionable choices in film projects to join.

The origins of video game adaptations being linked to poor quality can be traced back to 1993' box office bomb "Super Mario Bros." The live-action movie pits brothers Mario (Bob Hoskins) and Luigi (John Leguizamo) against Koopa (Dennis Hopper) in an alternate universe where humanity evolved from dinosaurs. Sporting a ridiculous ridged haircut, Koopa plots to conquer Earth after learning of its existence and the possibility of merging the two worlds. This culminates in Koopa being devolved into a dinosaur and a primordial slime, toppling his regime once and for all.

Making "Super Mario Bros." was reportedly a miserable experience, with both Hoskins and Hopper trashing the movie publicly. During a 2008 interview with Conan O'Brien, Hopper recalled that his young son asked at the time why he agreed to appear in "Super Mario Bros." Hopper told his child that projects like that paid for his shoes, something his son then dismissed. With campy scenes involving Koopa up to his neck in mud and trying to order a pizza, Hopper's son may have been on to something.

The biggest movie of 1998 was "Armageddon," a disaster movie directed by Michael Bay involving oil drillers being trained as astronauts to intercept and destroy an incoming asteroid. Joining Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck as part of the ensemble cast was Billy Bob Thornton, who played NASA chief Dan Truman. Though Truman is unable to join the drillers on their risky mission in space, he is a vital source of support back on Earth. The movie was the largest role for Thornton at that time, though his reason for signing on was more alimony-inspired.

During a spotlight panel at SXSW in 2008, Thornton admitted he accepted his role in "Armageddon" to pay off a recent divorce. As Thornton hesitated to take roles in major studio movies, rather than the independent films he primarily appeared in at that time, his manager urged him to reconsider. This led Thornton to balance out his filmography with his usual indie favorites alongside bigger projects that helped pay the bills. However, rest easy, "Bad Santa" fans. Thornton has since remarked he was eager to star in that raunchy comedy, feeling his foul-mouthed holiday role was "a no-brainer."

Long before "Dungeons & Dragons" received the mainstream cultural ubiquity the tabletop game is currently enjoying, a feature film adaptation of the game was produced in 2000. The fantasy action movie's primary villain is the evil Mage Profion, played by classically trained English actor Jeremy Irons. As Profion schemes to control the realm's dragons with a magical scepter, Irons voraciously chews through the scenery like it's an all-you-can-eat buffet. Indeed, while most of the 2000 "Dungeons & Dragons" is absolute cinematic dreck, Irons' performance is the only real highlight.

Years after the release of "Dungeons & Dragons," Irons was asked why he agreed to join such a campy trainwreck. Reportedly, Irons told The Guardian that he had just purchased a castle in Ireland, with his salary helping pay for the medieval real estate. Fortunately, at least judging by his performance, Irons looks like he's having an over-the-top blast in "Dungeons & Dragons," regardless of motivation. If only all mortgage-paying jobs were as fun as getting to play a silver screen evil wizard.

While promoting 2022's "Sonic the Hedgehog 2," Jim Carrey, who played the villainous Ivo Robotnik, claimed he was strongly considering retiring from acting after a 40-year career. By early 2024, it was clear Carrey wasn't quite ready to hang it up yet, confirmed to reprise his role as Robotnik later that year in "Sonic the Hedgehog 3." Far from retiring, Carrey pulled double duty in the video game adaptation, playing both Ivo and his equally evil grandfather Gerald Robotnik. In playing the two Robotniks, Carrey even gave the sequel its best scene, as they danced through a highly secure room in stylized unison.

While promoting "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," Carrey commented on his short-lived retirement consideration and why he joined the sequel. Carrey reflected to Variety that he was "fairly serious" about retirement before reconsidering and agreeing to a dual role as the Robotniks. Carrey elaborated that he had "bought a lot of stuff" since his "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" payday and needed the money. Here's to hoping that Carrey isn't quite done with his video game role yet, if it yields more fresh dance sequences.

Harrison Ford has starred in some of the biggest cinematic franchises ever, which notably includes "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones." In 2025, Ford added the Marvel Cinematic Universe to his already-impressive resume, replacing the late William Hurt as General Thaddeus Ross. Appearing as Ross in "Captain America: Brave New World," Ford took the character from being the President of the United States to the formidable Red Hulk. Ford's performance was arguably his wildest in a major motion picture, but the paycheck certainly assuaged the ridiculous nature of his role.

In order to join the MCU and play as the raging Red Hulk, Ford noted that his willingness required him to be "an idiot for money." Observing that he had agreed to such conditions before in his career, Ford commented that he enjoyed the experience overall. To that point, Ford has admitted to accepting jobs "for the money" for years, with his MCU appearance presumably being no different. Regardless of motivations, Ford's performance as the Red Hulk is the highlight of "Captain America: Brave New World," cementing his multi-decade blockbuster appeal.