Jonan Hill was so desperate to work with Martin Scorsese that he accepted the SAG minimum wage in order to be in The Wolf of Wall Street.
Scorsese felt he was taking a risk by casting a comedic actor in such a significant role. His only notable dramatic work before The Wolf of Wall Street was Moneyball, a film he starred in alongside Brad Pitt.
Knowing this, Hill jumped at the chance to work with Scorsese for minimum wage immediately.
"I'll sign the paper tonight. Fax the papers to me now. I want to sign them before they change their minds. I want to sign them before I go to sleep, so that legally they can't change their minds."
She was paid $60,000. In contrast, reports say DiCaprio was paid around $25 million. Margot Robbie earned much less, an estimated $667,000, but still more than Hill.
To put the salaries into perspective, the film's budget was $100 million and it made a profit of $392 million.
I think it paid off for Hill to take the pay. After all, he received an Oscar nomination for his role.
As Hill put it:
"I would sell my house and give all my money to work with Scorsese. I would have given everything I have in the world. I would have done it without thinking twice."