For most of us, a job offer could represent a major change in our lives. Whenever we get a new job proposal, we must take the time to truly consider all the variables to decide whether or not it is aligned with the future we foresee. Many times, these offers are not economically tempting, but they are convenient for other reasons, or can help us to keep growing as professionals. Some other times, these are not that challenging, but the compensation is such that we are willing to forget about everything else and just say yes to it.

This also happens in an actor’s life, the only difference being that, in their case, one bad decision regarding a job offer may leave them exposed to the whole world and totally end their career, or launch them to stardom. Over the course of film history, there have been many cases of first-time actors achieving worldwide acclaim and popularity thanks to one particular film. Just like the rest of us, actors pick their roles as they see fit, and they don’t always base their choices on a common motive. Oftentimes, they gravitate towards offers that are challenging for them as actors, even when the pay is not as compelling. On other occasions, they jump into projects primarily to make their children or family happy. However, money is also a major issue when it comes to job offers, and many times, actors have accepted a contract solely for the amount of money that was offered. Here are eight of these cases.

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8 Jackie Chan — Rush Hour

     New Line Cinema

Rush Hour is a film franchise that was released from 1998 to 2007 and follows Chief Inspector Lee and Detective James Carter in their crime-fighting adventures. It comprises three movies, starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, all directed by Brett Ratner. While these productions were box-office hits, they all garnered mixed reviews. Chan was involved in this project, but he did not consider it to be of great significance to his career, as the only reason why he got involved was the money offered. He even admitted that he didn’t like the films, even though they performed really well overall (via IndieWire).

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

7 Eddie Murphy — Best Defense

     Paramount Pictures

By 1984, Eddie Murphy’s career was booming, especially after starring in the movie 48 Hrs. However, opposite to what everyone was expecting, his performance in Best Defense, the comedy he starred in with Dudley Moore, was quite disappointing. This movie, directed by Willard Huyck, was a box office flop and met with very poor reviews, even from Murphy himself. In fact, in later interviews, he stated that he wasn’t interested in the role, and that he turned it down many times, yet when Paramount Pictures offered him $1 million to do it in just a few weeks, he ended up saying yes.

6 Michelle Williams — Venom

     Columbia Pictures

Michelle Williams is well-known for her work in independent films, so being cast in 2018’s Venom came as an extreme surprise. She accepted this project to challenge herself to work in blockbusters and with larger teams of people, although the economic offer also motivated her. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Williams discussed the project and commented that, while years ago she would only take on projects she loved, she is now aware of the times and her need to take care of her family. Of course, Michelle crafted her character as earnestly and carefully as the rest of her roles.

5 Morgan Freeman — London Has Fallen

     Focus Features

Morgan Freeman is one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, with an impeccable portfolio of films across all genres. However, he has also been involved in a few projects purely for the money. Such was the case with London Has Fallen, the 2016 film that served as a sequel to Olympus Has Fallen. Freeman had already been part of the original movie, and his main reason for reprising his role as Allan Trumbull was the money, as he wasn’t sure when he would be offered another big-budget movie again. Perhaps that’s also why he agreed to reprise his role for the third installment, Angel Has Fallen, in 2019.

4 Harrison Ford — Star Wars: The Force Awakens

     Walt Disney Studios

Playing Han Solo in the 1977 film Star Wars: A New Hope turned aspiring actor Harrison Ford into a star with worldwide recognition. From then on, besides reprising the role in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi in 1980 and 1983, respectively, he went on to star in all sorts of films. In 2015, 32 years after his last appearance in the Star Wars saga, Ford got an offer to reprise his character for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which thrilled the fans who wanted to see Han Solo again. However, Harrison wasn’t particularly excited about coming back to Star Wars: what attracted him was the amount of money he was offered.

3 Billy Bob Thornton — Armageddon

     Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Armageddon is a 1998 disaster film that was very successful at the box office, but not so much with the critics. In it, Billy Bob Thornton played Dan Truman, one of the main characters. Thornton’s main reason for taking the job was financial, as he was going through a divorce at the time and needed money to support himself. Also, his agent considered it a great opportunity for him, as being involved in a big budget movie could give Thornton a chance to boost his career.

2 Michael Caine — Jaws: The Revenge

     Universal Pictures

Michael Caine is one of the most outstanding actors of his generation, and one of five male actors to be Oscar-nominated for his performances in five different decades. However, his career had its share of flops, and among them, one of the most notorious ones is Jaws: The Revenge, the fourth and final installment of the Jaws franchise. The only reason why Caine accepted a role in this production was the money they were offering: at the time, he was in the midst of building a house that went over-budget. In later interviews, the actor admitted that he had never even seen the production.

1 Glenn Close — Guardians of the Galaxy

It’s always a pleasant surprise to find actresses with Glenn Close’s trajectory and accolades taking on projects that are far from what they would normally do. This happened in 2014, when she joined the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy to play Nova Prime Irani Rael. Close made the decision to accept this offer mainly because the money she would earn from this big-budget film would allow her to dedicate time to other, smaller projects that she enjoys without having to worry about an income.