Movies
How much did Scarlett Johansson get paid for upcoming role in Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City’?
The Marvel actress took a huge pay cut to appear in Wes Anderson’s latest film.
With a $14.52 billion worldwide total, Scarlett Johansson is one of the highest-paid actors of all time. Johansson has a lengthy resume with work with Marvel and numerous non-franchise movies that broke the $100 million grossing mark.
According to reports Johansson regularly asks for a $15 to $20 million salary for her roles. This isn’t surprising considering her movies find frequent success.
Some of her most successful work includes 2016′s ‘The Jungle Book’ ($953 million), 2014′s ‘Lucy’ ($457 million), and 2003′s ‘Lost in Translation’ ($117 million). However, in her latest role in Wes Anderson’s new film ‘Asteroid City’, the actress took a significant pay cut.
How much will Johansson get paid for ‘Asteroid City’?
According to Variety, Johansson “she happily earned a paltry $4,131 a week for two months of work on the Focus Features film that shot in Spain.” According to online reports, it appears that her pay is the lowest rate that a union actor can accept for a project.
As well, ‘Asteroid City’ has a budget of $25 million and can not only afford to pay Johansson more but and fellow A-list cast members such as Tom Hanks and Margot Robbie. It’s unclear as to why Johansson took such a low pay as Anderson reportedly wrote her character with the actress in mind.
“I was curious: Who is this person? How did she get here, to be so successful at that time? She’s this star of stage and screen — what drove her there?” Johansson said about her preparation to play actress Midge Campbell, her character in ‘Asteroid City,’ who Anderson wrote for her. “I like the sort of constraints of Wes’ precision. I think in some ways, it’s more liberating.”
‘Asteroid City’ is set to premiere in Cannes in May 2023 and will release officially in theaters on June 16th, 2023.
Johansson’s previous pay issues
Scarlett Johansson has been involved in a high-profile pay issue related to her role as Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In July 2021, Johansson filed a lawsuit against Disney, alleging a breach of contract.
The dispute stemmed from the simultaneous release of ‘Black Widow’ in theaters and on Disney+ through Premier Access. Although the cast has yet to be resolved, it has caused a lot of discussion about the pay disparity in the film industry and the importance of contracts and negotiations.