Jamie Lee Curtis Was Only Paid Four-Figures For Her Iconic Role In Halloween
Salaries are a major talking point for movie and TV fans, as people love to know how much the biggest stars in Hollywood make. Some performers rake in millions, others take reduced salaries, and some are grossly underpaid. No matter the number, fans are always curious about salaries.
Jamie Lee Curtis has done quite well for herself in entertainment, having made a ton of money in her career. However, the film that helped establish her name in Hollywood paid her practically nothing.
Let's take a look at how much Jamie Lee Curtis made for her iconic role in Halloween.
Jamie Lee Curtis Is An Icon
Jamie Lee Curtis is an actress that has been a staple in the entertainment industry for several decades now. Curtis sprang to fame early on, and she would spend years solidifying herself as a genuine Scream Queen in the horror genre, while also flexing an impressive acting range elsewhere.
In the horror genre alone, Curtis was an anchor in the Halloween franchise. She was also featured in movies like The Fog, Prom Night, Terror Train, and plenty more.
Outside the genre, she's done exceptionally well for herself. Curtis has been in movies like Trading Places, A Fish Called Wanda, True Lies, My Girl, and Freaky Friday. More recent smash hits include Knives Out, and Everything Everywhere All At Once.
It's been amazing for fans to watch Curtis continue to add to her impressive list of credits, and they can't wait to see sweat she has in store next.
In the meantime, we need to take a look at the movie that helped her establish her name in Hollywood.
She Starred In The 'Halloween' Franchise
In 1978, Jamie Lee Curtis skyrocketed to fame thanks to her work in Halloween, John Carpenter's slash classic.
This might have been the film that changed the game for the actress, but this does not mean that things were instantly easier for her in the business.
According to the actress, "The truth of the matter is, Halloween changed my life over the course of a period of time,” she says. “It did not change my life immediately. Honestly, I didn’t get any work after I finished Halloween. I didn’t do anything. The only work I got was a Charlie’s Angels episode where I’m Cheryl Ladd’s best friend, and a pro-golfer, and we wrestle alligators in an episode, and an episode of Love Boat where my mother (Psycho actress Jane Leigh) plays my mother and I’m going on my honeymoon."
As tough as this was, John Carpenter made sure that Curtis would get some work, which inadvertently jump-started things for her.
"It was because the movie was successful, and I wasn’t getting any work, John Carpenter wrote the part in The Fog for me. And then once I did The Fog, I was able to get a couple of other horror movies, Prom Night and Terror Train, [and] start to make a little money," she continued.
It's a good thing that she started to make some money following her time in The Fog, because she didn't make a whole lot for Halloween.
She Made $2,000 Per Week For The Original
While filming Halloween, which carried a tiny budget, Jamie Lee Curtis was only making a couple thousand dollars each week.
"I made $8,000. I made $2,000 a week, which at the time was a fortune," the actress told People.
That might have been great at the time for the young actress, but that's not a ton of money to work with.
In that same interview, she dished on the film's small budget, noting that she had a small shopping budget for her wardrobe (a whopping $200), and that she and the other actresses shared a common space.
"There were cabinets in the Winnebago. Each girl got a drawer with her name on it to put her purse in. The makeup and the hair and the wardrobe were all in this one Winnebago that we all shared," she said.
She also talked about the small crew that helped bring the classic to life.
"Twenty people, maybe 15. The oldest person was 30. Every other person was under 30. It was magic. A friend of somebody cooked the food each day and we all ate on the ground together.”
It's amazing that a small crew and a small amount of money helped make Halloween a classic of the genre. Curtis didn't make a whole lot at first, but through the years, she raked in millions, and none of that wouldn't have been possible without her time in Carpenter's classic.
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