Actors who got paid for movies they weren't in

The actor had a cameo in the iconic movie. Harrison Ford played a school principal who reprimands the protagonist Elliott (Henry Thomas). Ford was great friends with Steven Spielberg, and it also helped that his then-wife, Melissa Mathison, wrote the screenplay for 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' (1982). Unfortunately, the cameo never made it to the final cut of the film.

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Harrison Ford for 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' (1982) -

It's not known how much Harrison Ford was paid for the scene, but at the time he was already an established A-list actor in Hollywood.

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Eric Stoltz for 'Back to the Future' (1985) -

Eric Stoltz was originally cast to play Marty McFly in 'Back to the Future' (1985), but after six weeks of shooting, Robert Zemeckis reluctantly decided to bring on Michael J. Fox instead.

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Eric Stoltz for 'Back to the Future' (1985) -

The reason was that Stoltz was a darker actor who brought a more melancholic feel to the movie. This, of course, turned out to be an expensive decision for the studio, which had to pay the two actors for their work.

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Nicolas Cage for 'Superman Lives' -

The actor was supposed to star in Tim Burton's 'Superman Lives,' but the movie never saw the light of day.

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Nicolas Cage for 'Superman Lives' -

Though Nicolas Cage never got to play play Superman, he was reportedly paid US$20 million for it!

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Kevin Costner for 'The Big Chill' (1983) -

Kevin Costner was originally cast in Lawrence Kasdan's 1983 movie 'The Big Chill.' He played Alex, a character who's dead since the beginning of the film.

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Kevin Costner for 'The Big Chill' (1983) -

Despite playing a dead man, Costner had to shoot a few flashback scenes. These scenes, however, never made it to the final cut of the movie. The actor does still appear as a corpse in the morgue in one scene, though. Kevin Costner was therefore paid for a movie he hardly was in.

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Buddy Ebsen for 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939) -

Buddy Ebsen was cast as the original Tin Man in 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939). However, he had to be replaced after developing an allergic reaction to the silver paint! But Ebsen was under contract, so he got paid.

Sources: (Looper) (Listverse)

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Shailene Woodley for 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' (2014) -

Shailene Woodley was supposed to play Spider-Man's love interest Mary-Jane Watson in 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' (2014), but the actress only shot three scenes.

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Shailene Woodley for 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' (2014) -

The scenes, however, were cut off in post-production and fans never got to see her in the movie. Woodley still got paid for it, though.

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Bob Hoskins for 'The Untouchables' (1987) -

Brian De Palma's 1987 film 'The Untouchables' brought together an all-star cast, including Sean Connery, Kevin Costner, Andy Garcia, and Robert De Niro.

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Bob Hoskins for 'The Untouchables' (1987) -

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Bob Hoskins for 'The Untouchables' (1987) -

Until the day he received a check for US$200,000 in the mail with a note from the director, which read, "Thanks for your time. Love, Brian."

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Michael Biehn for 'Alien 3' (1992) -

Michael Biehn's character in 'Aliens' (1986), Dwayne Hicks, is killed off in the beginning of David Fincher's 'Alien 3' (1992). For this reason, Biehn was not cast in the movie.

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Michael Biehn for 'Alien 3' (1992) -

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Kevin Spacey for 'All the Money in the World' (2017) -

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Kevin Spacey for 'All the Money in the World' (2017) -

Spacey had already shot all the scenes and dully fulfilled his contract, so he was paid for his work in full, despite not appearing in the final product.

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Paul Rudd for 'Bridesmaids' (2011) -

Actor Paul Rudd was supposed to star in Paul Feig's 2011 hit comedy 'Bridesmaids.' Rudd would play the protagonist's blind date, and indeed shot a scene.

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Paul Rudd for 'Bridesmaids' (2011) -

The scene, however, never saw the light of day in the final cut of the movie. But Rudd still got paid.

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Johnny Depp for 'Fantastic Beasts : The Secrets of Dumbledore' (2022) -

The actor was supposed to return as the antagonist Gellert Grindelwald in 'Fantastic Beasts : The Secrets of Dumbledore' (2022).

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Johnny Depp for 'Fantastic Beasts : The Secrets of Dumbledore' (2022) -

But following Amber Heard's allegations and their subsequent legal dispute, Johnny Depp was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen.

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Johnny Depp for 'Fantastic Beasts : The Secrets of Dumbledore' (2022) -

The actor had only filmed one scene, but Depp's contract with Warner Bros. allowed him to pocket his full salary: US$16 million!

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Tim Roth for 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' (2019) -

Tim Roth has been working with director Quentin Tarantino ever since 1992's 'Reservoir Dogs.' The actor was supposed to star in 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' (2019) as a British butler.

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Tim Roth for 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' (2019) -

Roth filmed the scenes, but Tarantino decided to axe them in the final cut of the movie. He still got paid for the part though.

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Tobey Maguire for 'Life of Pi' (2012) -

Believe it or not, Tobey Maguire was replaced by Rafe Spall in 'Life of Pi' (2012) because director Ang Lee thought he was too well known.

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Tobey Maguire for 'Life of Pi' (2012) -

According to Lee, the decision was taken to "be consistent with other casting choices made for the film," keeping "an entirely international cast." Maguire, of course, got paid for his work.

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Harrison Ford for 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' (1982) -

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Harrison Ford for 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' (1982) -

It's not known how much Harrison Ford was paid for the scene, but at the time he was already an established A-list actor in Hollywood.

Getty Images

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Eric Stoltz for 'Back to the Future' (1985) -

Eric Stoltz was originally cast to play Marty McFly in 'Back to the Future' (1985), but after six weeks of shooting, Robert Zemeckis reluctantly decided to bring on Michael J. Fox instead.

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Eric Stoltz for 'Back to the Future' (1985) -

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Nicolas Cage for 'Superman Lives' -

The actor was supposed to star in Tim Burton's 'Superman Lives,' but the movie never saw the light of day.

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Nicolas Cage for 'Superman Lives' -

Though Nicolas Cage never got to play play Superman, he was reportedly paid US$20 million for it!

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Kevin Costner for 'The Big Chill' (1983) -

Kevin Costner was originally cast in Lawrence Kasdan's 1983 movie 'The Big Chill.' He played Alex, a character who's dead since the beginning of the film.

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Kevin Costner for 'The Big Chill' (1983) -

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Buddy Ebsen for 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939) -

Sources: (Looper) (Listverse)

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Actors who got paid for movies they weren't in

These actors got paid for films you didn't see them in

03/12/24 | StarsInsider

MOVIES Show business

Hollywood actors get paid millions for their work. After all, they are the movie stars whose image alone can sell the films. But sometimes, either because their scenes are cut in post-production, they're replaced by other actors, or for other reasons, actors get paid for movies they aren't actually in.

Curious? Click on to to find out which actors got paid for movies they didn't appear in.