James Eugene Carrey (born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, writer, and artist. He is known for his energetic slapstick performances. Carrey first gained recognition in America in 1990 after landing a recurring role in the sketch comedy television series In Living Color.
His first leading roles in motion pictures came with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), Dumb and Dumber (1994), The Mask (1994), and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995), as well portraying the Riddler in Batman Forever (1995) and the lead role in Liar Liar (1997).
He gained attention starring in serious roles in The Truman Show (1998) and Man on the Moon (1999), with each garnering him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.
Inside Movie Stars’ Salaries: Joaquin Phoenix Nabs $20M for ‘Joker 2,’ Tom Cruise Heads to Over $100M and More
variety.comTom Cruise is taking a lower fee upfront for starring in the next two “Mission: Impossible” films, which sources say leads to a meager paycheck in the $12 million to $14 million range, but he commands a significant percentage of the movies’ first-dollar gross.
That means that Cruise gets box office bonuses before the studio even breaks even. In the case of “Top Gun: Maverick,” still flying high at nearly $1.2 billion at the global box office, sources estimate that Cruise will net $100 million or more from ticket sales, his salary and his eventual cut of home entertainment rentals and streaming revenue.“I would never bet against Tom Cruise,” says one studio executive, noting that Cruise is superhuman when it comes to crisscrossing the globe promoting his movies (though he doesn’t do print interviews). “Most actors aren’t worth what you pay them, but Cruise and maybe Dwayne Johnson justify their salaries.” Cruise’s deal is unique, however.
Most A-listers still command large paydays, and many get a chunk of the profits, but they can only access the pool of riches after a movie is in the black.
For decades, the biggest actors in the world commanded $20 million. That figure dated back to Jim Carrey’s payout for 1996’s “The Cable Guy,” and it was a number that seemed immune to inflationary pressure.Cruise’s pact is a vestige of a time when stars, not superheroes, were the reason that audiences flocked to movie theaters to see a new release.
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