Being a massive star in Hollywood comes with a lot of opportunities to do some truly incredible things. Most actors are simply happy to collect a huge paycheck and star in a picture, while others are willing to take some risks to bring an incredible story to life on the big or small screen.
George Clooney is one of the biggest actors on the planet, and after making it big on television, he turned into a major movie star. During the 2000s, Clooney wanted to bring a passion project to life, and to do so, he took a salary that made headlines in a hurry.
Let’s take a look at the film that paid George Clooney just $3 million.
He Was Given $3 For ‘Good Night And Good Luck’
Few Hollywood stars on the planet come anywhere close to matching what George Clooney has been able to do during his illustrious career, and for the most part, Clooney is landing some of the biggest paydays in the business. However, when it came to making Good Night, and Good Luck, George Clooney took home a $3 salary, and this was to bring his passion project to life.
Good Night, and Good Luck was co-written and directed by George Clooney, who was doing anything and everything possible to bring this story to life. The story, which focused on a clash between journalism and politics, hit home for Clooney, whose father was a famous journalist and television host during his heyday.
It’s not often that a major actor will go out of their way to make a project like this, but clearly, Clooney was willing to do anything and everything just to get this project off of the ground. This small budget project did have a lot going for it, but in order for Good Night, and Good Luck to be made, George Clooney was going to have to take some drastic measures.
He Mortgaged His House To Make The Film
For the most part, an actor in Hollywood is simply going to sign on the dotted line and star in a new project without having to worry about too much, but for Good Night, and Good Luck, George Clooney was also writing and starring in the film. In order to help Good Night, and Good Luck get made, George Clooney was forced to mortgage his house.
On top of mortgaging his house, George Clooney was also able to get investments from Mark Cuban and Jeffrey Skoll who were able to receive producing credit on the film. George Clooney was initially going to pull down $120,000 with the movie, but instead, he deferred it back to the studio, opting to take just the $3 for writing, directing, and acting in the movie.
Needless to say, this was an incredibly bold move by George Clooney, as there is simply no certainty that a film will become a hit at the box office. Despite his proven track record as an A-list star, George Clooney was still not immune from having a film underperform. Thankfully, things were able to work out just fine for Clooney.
He Received Oscar Nominations
Released back in 2005, Good Night, and Good Luck was a fantastic movie that earned rave reviews from critics, and it got a significant amount of buzz during awards season. More impressively, the film, which had a $7 million budget, was able to gross $54 million at the box office, meaning that it was a sizable financial success for Clooney and the film’s investors.
Once awards season rolled around, people were interested in seeing how Good Night, and Good Luck would fare with some of the more prestigious awards out there. At the Academy Awards, the film would be nominated for a total of six prizes, including Best Picture. Impressively, Clooney himself was nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, along with co-writer, Grant Heslov.
Suddenly, the huge gamble that George Clooney took to bring Good Night, and Good Luck to the big screen completely paid off. The film’s critical and financial success meant that studios would be willing to roll the dice on Clooney projects once again in the future. Not only that, but this movie showed just how versatile Clooney is with what he can do in front of and behind the camera.
Mortgaging his house and only taking $3 to make Good Night, and Good Luck was a huge risk by George Clooney, but in the end, everything worked out just fine en route to the film making bank and eventually getting nominated for an Oscar.