9 Times Actors Actually Lost Money Filming Movies (3 of 5)

4. Sharon Stone

Basic Instinct made her an icon, but becoming famous and getting rich are not always the same thing. It turns out that the movie didn’t exactly leave her with a lot of money. In fact, by her own account, she barely got paid. Stone later explained that Michael Douglas made millions from the film while she earned a fraction of that. The paycheck barely covered all the fancy dresses, styling, and makeup she had to pay for from her own pocket after the movie gained traction.

5. Jack Black

Jack Black’s The Pick of Destiny never made it to theaters for many different reasons. It was a full-blown passion project, which also means that the funds all came out of Black’s pocket. He gave up the kind of salary he was used to making on studio comedies to get that fantastic movie made. The Pick of Destiny had a budget of around $20 mil but earned only $14 mil in theaters. Jack Black and Kyle Gass were deeply invested in the whole thing, both creatively and financially, and while the movie later became a cult classic, that did not help much in the moment.