When most people take a job, the world at large never learns how much money they make unless the person in question decides to share that information. However, the highest-paid actors in Hollywood make so much money that their pay packages garner headlines all over the world. After all, it is pretty outrageous that some actors make millions for pretending in front of cameras.

Even though it is amazing to know how much money some actors get paid for their craft, it is even more mind-boggling that some performers get paid a fortune for other things. For example, when a star appears in an advertisement, they get a small fortune for spending a day or two on a commercial set. Of course, one way that a lot of stars have made bank without acting or starring in a commercial is by posing for Playboy. In fact, one former teen star was paid a staggering $1 million to pose for Playboy.

Related: 15 Highest Paid Movie Stars Today, Officially Ranked

Breaking Free

At any given time, there is a long list of famous child stars who are paid a fortune to perform on camera. In a lot of those cases, the young actors in question are cast as innocent characters and even when that isn’t the case, the world sees them as little kids because that’s what they are.

Once a lot of former child stars grow up, they clearly go out of their way to take roles that show the world how much more mature they’ve become. For example, actors like Elizabeth Berkley, Vanessa Hudgens, Anne Hathaway, and Alyssa Milano all seemingly took roles designed to break the world’s perception of them as kids once they grew up.

Related: 12 Child Actors Who Succeeded In Hollywood As Adults

Drew Becomes A Young Star

When E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was released in 1982, Drew Barrymore was so adorable that moviegoers all over the world were blown away by how adorable she was. After E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial became a runaway hit, Barrymore went on to become one of the most famous child stars in the world.

Throughout the rest of Drew Barrymore’s childhood and teen years, she went on to headline a long list of major movies. As a result, for a while, it seemed like the world would never be able to move past their years of seeing Barrymore on the big screen as a youngster.

Related: How Drew Barrymore Landed Her Role In 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'

Drew Grows Up And Cashes In

Unfortunately, it is well documented that being a child or teen star often results in a young actor growing up way too fast. In the case of Drew Barrymore, it is abundantly clear that her younger years had next to nothing in common with the things that most people go through. After all, Barrymore has been open about the fact that she developed dependency issues by the time she turned 11.

Given Drew Barrymore’s extreme childhood, some people may assume that she was able to skip some of the growing pains that stars tend to go through once they become adults. However, that simply isn’t the case. For proof of that, all you have to do is look at all of the ways that Barrymore seemed to rebel during the mid-90s. For example, in 1994 Barrymore got married and divorced in a matter of days.

During the mid-90s, Drew Barrymore also seemed to rebel by showing off her figure. Of course, it is perfectly normal for someone to show off their body but given the timing of two incidents, it certainly seems like Drew’s decisions were meant to be rebellious. First off, during a 1995 appearance on Late Show with David Letterman. Drew Barrymore began to sing Happy Birthday to the host. Once Barrymore finished the song, she shocked Letterman and everyone watching by flashing him. Since Barrymore was facing away from the cameras, nothing too scandalous could be seen at home.

When Drew Barrymore flashed David Letterman in 1995, the masses saw next to nothing. On the other hand, when Barrymore posed for a Playboy pictorial that was published the same year, everything was revealed. According to celebritynetworth.com, Playboy paid Barrymore $1 million for her appearance. Considering she was paid that much during the mid-90s, that figure is all the more impressive when you keep inflation in mind.

Unlike the people who enjoyed Drew Barrymore’s Playboy pictorial, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial director Steven Spielberg reacted to it by sending her a quilt with a note that said; “cover up”. In response, Barrymore jokingly sent Spielberg a trio of photos of herself dressed up as a nun in front of a church. Underneath Barrymore’s three photos were the captions “I’m sorry,” “I’ve seen the light” and “I’m on my way”. As Spielberg revealed in 2021, he still has the framed photos to this day.

Next: Which Beloved Teen Star Turned Down $1 Million To Appear In Playboy?