Jason Isaacs Has Candid Response to 'Very Low' 'White Lotus' Payday
White Lotus star Jason Isaacs made it known how he really feels about being paid “a very low price” for his starring role in the third season of HBO’s juggernaut drama.
Isaacs revealed during an interview with Vulture that, due to the show’s equal pay initiative, he and the rest of his co-stars earned just $40,000 per episode. That means they made around $320,000 each for the season, but while that might sound like a hefty payday, Isaacs noted that’s actually “a very low price” for such a high-profile gig.
“I didn’t know that was public knowledge. That’s absolutely true,” Isaacs said when asked about the equal pay initiative. “Generally, actors don’t talk about pay in public because it’s ridiculously disproportionate to what we do—putting on makeup and funny voices—and just upsets the public. But compared to what people normally get paid for big television shows, that’s a very low price. But the fact is, we would have paid to be in it. We probably would have given a body part.”
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When asked if he felt it was unfair that he and veteran co-stars like Parker Posey and Walton Goggins were making the same amount as the show’s newcomers, like Sarah Catherine Hook and Aimee Lou Wood, Isaacs made his position clear. “Do I mind that I wasn’t paid more than other people? I never work for money,” he said. “I’ve done all right. People will think I have huge stockpiles of money, but sadly, what I’ve done rather immaturely is expand my outgoings to match my incomings and pretty much spent everything I’ve earned over the years.”
Season three of The White Lotus is available to stream on HBO Max.
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