While some might think that acting is an easy job, a lot of hard work goes into bringing our favorite characters to life on screen. It's even more work for young actors who sacrifice a traditional childhood to live out their dreams.

RELATED: 10 Actors Who Were Paid Almost Nothing For Their Best Roles

It should come as no surprise then that some of these child actors are paid just as much, if not more than their adult costars. Especially, if they land an iconic role like say, Harry Potter in the Harry Potter franchise. Here are ten of the highest-paid child actors of all time.

11 Shirley Temple - $50,000 Per Film

Though Hollywood has changed in many ways over the several decades its been successful, one thing that's remained constant is its need for cute child stars. While every generation has a child star become an icon, the true Hollywood child movie star icon is Shirley Temple.

Shirley Temple made her big-screen debut at just four years and quickly became one the biggest and most identifiable stars of all time. Temple went on to star in over 40 features during her successful career. By 1936, Temple has struck a deal with her studio that earned her a salary of $50,000 per film she made.

10 Abigail Breslin - $64,000 For Zambezia

Abigail Breslin had been acting for several years before landing her breakout role of Olive Hoover in the Academy Award-nominated film Little Miss Sunshine. In fact, she was even nominated for an Academy Award for her performance.

Becoming an Oscar-nominated actress at just 10 years old can do wonders for an acting career and it certainly did for Breslin. Her biggest paying role came in the form of the 2012 animated film Zambezia where she was paid $16,000 an hour for just four hours of work.

9 Daniel Radcliffe - $20 Million Each For The Last Two Harry Potter Films

Daniel Radcliffe is arguably the biggest child actor of the 2000s so its not surprising that his salary reflects his icon status. Radcliffe was only 11 when he earned his groundbreaking role of Harry Potter in the massively successful Harry Potter series.

While Radcliffe earned $145,000 for the first film, by the time the last two films came around Radcliffe had become such a massive star that he was able to negotiate his salary. In the end, Radcliffe was paid $20 million for both Deathly Hallows films.

8 Chloë Grace Moretz - $500,000 Per Film

Chloë Grace Moretz started acting at just six years old but her breakout role didn't come until 2010 where she starred in the superhero film Kick-Ass as the iconic Hit-Girl. Though Moretz was a just a kid, her breakout role was definitely not kid-friendly.

RELATED: 20 Pics Of Chloe Grace Moretz Showing How Much She's Changed Since 2005

After launching into stardom after the success of Kick-Ass, Moretz started to land even more roles and was able to negotiate some pretty hefty salaries over the year. By the time she was 17, Moretz was earning $500,000 per film and sometimes she even made more thanks to bonuses based on box office performances.

7 Jaden Smith - $1 Million For The Karate Kid

With Will Smith as his father, Jaden Smith certainly didn't have to work a day in life if he chose to. And yet, Jaden Smith dove into the acting world at a very young age ready to carry on the Smith tradition.

Jaden Smith made his acting role opposite his father in the 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness but his true breakout role came a few years later when he was cast as Dre Parker in The Karate Kid reboot. Despite it being only his third film ever, Smith earned a whopping $1 million for his role.

6 Dakota Fanning - $4 Million Per Film

Dakota Fanning was just seven years old when the acting bug hit the young actress. In fact, it was her third film, I Am Sam, that launched her career and earned her Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. From their, Fanning went on to star in several films from Uptown Girls to children's classics like The Cat in the Hat and later The Twilight Saga. 

Fanning was reportedly making as much as $4 million per film before she had even become a teenager.

5 Rupert Grint - $33 Million For The Harry Potter Franchise

Daniel Radcliffe may have been the biggest child star of the 2000s but he didn't earn that label alone. Rupert Grint also made quite an impression on the world for his role as Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise.

Much like Radcliffe, Grint was only 11 years old when he was cast and was paid a measly salary at the beginning. Though it's not clear how much he ended up making for each individual film, sources have said that Grint made $33 million for all eight Harry Potter films.

4 Taylor Lautner - $25 Million For Breaking Dawn

While the Harry Potter franchise was a big deal in the 2000s, the 2010s were all about The Twilight Saga. While most of the stars of the film were already adults when they were cast, Taylor Lautner was still a teenager when he was cast as Jacob Black.

RELATED: 15 Facts About Taylor Lautner That Have Recently Come To Light

Lautner had a few acting roles under his belt but he truly became a household name thanks to the massive Twilight franchise. By the time the final two films came around, it's reported that Lautner earned $25 million to appear in them. He also negotiated a deal that earned him even more money thanks to Breaking Dawn's box office performance.

3 Emma Watson - $60 Million For The Harry Potter Franchise

The Harry Potter franchise would have been nothing without breakout star Emma Watson who was responsible for bringing Hermoine Granger to life. Lie her fellow costars, Watson was just a child when she landed the iconic role that changed her life for the better.

While Watson didn't make quite as much as Radcliffe did for the films, she did out earn Rupert Grint. By the end of the series, Watson had earned a combined $60 million for all eight of the films.

2 Macaulay Culkin - $1 Million For My Girl

1

Macaulay Culkin had starred in a few films before he managed to land his breakout role of Kevin McCallister in the Christmas classic Home Alone. The film not only launched his successful career but also earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

After that, Culkin was able to land several successful roles. Culkin made history in 1991 when he was cast as Thomas J. Sennett in the film My Girl. He became the first child actor to ever receive a salary of $1 million for the role.

NEXT: 10 Child Actors Who Went To School After Getting Famous