If you’re an actor hoping to be a main cast member on the next season of HBO’s hit “The White Lotus,” there are two things you can expect: your character might die, but you’ll still be paid the same as the rest of your colleagues.
“Everyone is treated the same on ‘The White Lotus,'” producer David Bernad told The Hollywood Reporter last week.
Veteran actors like Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Carrie Coon, and Michelle Monaghan were paid around $40,000 an episode ($320,000 for an eight-episode season), the same amount as the less experienced actors on set.
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Still, some of the actors have money from other sources. Although it was Lalisa Manoban’s first major acting role, the superstar Thai rapper and singer, who’s known as Lisa from Blackpink, is reportedly worth $25 million and has over 100 million Instagram followers.
“They get paid the same, and we do alphabetical billing, so you’re getting people who want to do the project for the right reasons, not to quote The Bachelor,” Bernad said. “It’s a system we developed in the first season because there was no money to make the show.”
The outlet also noted that acclaimed actor Woody Harrelson asked the CEO of HBO’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, “to see if his salary could be negotiated” when he was up for a lead role in the series, but was told no. (He took the job anyway but reportedly left the project due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced by Walton Goggins.)
“It makes it so much easier,” said casting director Meredith Tucker to the Hollywood Reporter. “You tell people this is what it is. And some won’t do it, and honestly, you can’t hold it against people who need to make a living. Our series regulars are pretty much doing this for scale.”
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