Do you think actors/actresses have hard jobs - and is it worth the $$?

Question

I remember a speech Will Smith gave after receiving an award some time back where he stated that he worked harder than most people. In fact, part of his quote was "While ya'll are sleeping, I'm working". I found this to be very rude and incredibly incorrect.

Don't get me wrong, I like Will Smith's films, but I don't think that actors actually put in the amount of work that deserves $20 million dollars per film. Sure, they run around and have to do some stunts where they fall down and land on a pad, and maybe they have to wake up early on some days to get a shot, but hey, I have to wake up at 4:30AM EVERY day just to beat the morning traffic so I don't get stuck in grid lock. I don't see Will Smith doing that on a daily basis and getting paid only $50k a year... Oh no, he gets paid $20 MILLION to pretend to be someone for 3-6 months.. Yeah, REALLL tough work there buddy... Getting paid to "play".

Anyway, anyone here think that actors have hard jobs or that it's worth that much $?

Answer 1

No, I think it is much harder to get up everyday and work a 9 to 5. Actors work a few months out of the year and then they are done. They travel to their "job sites" in limosines, are put up at fancy hotels and eat catered meals. I don't feel sorry for them and I certainly don't think they deserve to make millions. They have personal trainers, speech coaches and access to top designers to help them get into character. They get way too much money for what they do and when it comes right down to it, they are getting paid playing pretend for a few hours. They get paid pretending to be us, the regular folks, the working stiffs.

Yeah, I like Will Smith too but he was out of line saying this even if he was just trying to be funny. It was a very disrespectful comment. I think he forgets that we are the ones buying the tickets to see his movies.

Answer 2

okay i think that maybe Smith is exaggerating a bit and that actors do get overpaid but it does take plenty of hard work to become a tier-one actor.
First thing, you need lots and lots of luck. There are thousands of aspiring actors out there and you need a lot of luck to beat the crowd.
Secondly, acting definitely takes skill. Directors can spend hours on notes for actors and preperation can take hours, even days in some cases such as the 1998 Saving Private Ryan with military training. Acting is no easy feat, to be able to impersonate hundreds of personalities and to be able to evoke dozens of emotions on command, it takes years of practice and lots of experience. Some High School actors can dedicate an entire notebook to notes and maps of their jobs.
Basically, acting is a tough job that is very difficult to do well in, and if you make it it's like striking oil or winning the lottery, there's a big payout. I think it's tough but probably not worth the millions.

Answer 3

I think that when you consider that MOST actors have to have other jobs to support themselves and their families that it could be considered hard, given the money.

Acting..is a talent that is easy for some and impossible for others. However, getting there is nearly impossible for most, and hard work for the majority that do get that big. Then they sacrifice much in terms of personal life and privacy. Heck, imagine how hard it is to determine who is your friend because they like you versus those that just want to hang with someone famous!

Anyhow..I'm gonna say that on a day to day basis, digging ditches or having a job that requires critical thinking and problem solving skills is tougher, but I don't think being a star is as easy as some think.

And yeah..if you get the big bucks, they've got little reason to gripe. At least they have a choice to leave the biz and eventually be more anonymous. The guy digging ditches probably has few options for change, and even fewer to "swap" for star level salary.

Answer 4

It's easy for them. There are times when they work long hours, but most films wrap up shooting in about 6 weeks. Also, they count all hours at the set, including time in the trailers and just hanging out as "working".

However, they don't get paid the big bucks because the work is hard, they get paid because of the amount of money that they produce for investors in the films/shows they are on. If that's how much money Will made, imagine how much the film studio brought in!

Answer 5

I love acting in community theatre, but I can never hope to make money from it. It is fun, and they enjoy it. That's why they pursued it. I don't mind that Will Smith gets paid $20 million a movie. Stars are what keep the entertainment industry going, but no. They don't do $20 million dollars worth of work.

Answer 6

It's supply and demand - we want entertainment, and people go to the theater to see Will Smith, Harrison Ford, Wesley Snipes, and Eddie Murphy - I've gone to see movies for them alone.

As for the money, THEY are in demand. They spend all day memorizing lines, and ACTING - you want a good example? When I was a kid I didn't know that Han Solo and Indiana Jones were the same actor - THAT'S acting. There's an episode of Star Trek: Voyager, where Seven of Nine has the Borg equivalent of multiple personality disorder - she played a child, a Klingon, a Farengi, and several others - THAT was acting, and not everyone has the natural beauty, the brains to memorize, and the skills to act that the public demand.

If movies are too expensive, don't go.

Answer 7

I know they work hard but in spurts. Look at the people who have had to lose or gain a boat load of weight for a role not to mention the constant possibility of unemployment looming over their heads and the constant search for work, the pressure to look perfect, the paparazzi up their ...well, in their faces continuously. Having to deal with nut jobs and stalkers. The energy it would take to run through the emotions that it would take to act sometimes. I truly believe that they work really hard. ON the other hand, I get up at 4:30am to go to my regular pencil pusher job. I don't know if acting is worth what is paid (or professional sports for that matter) but I can tell you that if I had any discernible talent, for THAT money, oh heck yes, I would be in show business!

Answer 8

No, I don't think their job is hard, and I don't think they should be paid as much as they are. Theater actors work just as much as film actors do, and make a lot less. Also, it's not as though they're doing anything demanding...the stunt guys do most of the grunt work. Actors in past eras were poor unless they were sponsored by a king or queen, and traveled around.

Answer 9

I think it is hard work, but not necessarily 1000 times harder than your average 'tough job'. I think that on average, most actors and actresses are barely scraping by and it's a teeny percentage that actually can make it big. I'd hope that most of them are grateful for their good fortune, but I'd also bet that a fair number of them weren't just discovered out of chance, but out of hard work and perseverance.

On the other hand, if an actor's presence is the difference between a movie making $80M and $100M, then I suppose they deserve a fair percentage of that difference.

Answer 10

People don't get paid according to what they do, but according to the money available. I know a longshoreman who gets $75,000 for watching a crane work. I get $3o,ooo for being a custodian at a large school district. Some of the smallerdistricts pay much less. Actors and athletes get the money they do because people will pay for them. Crosby,Stills,and Nash are playing near here and tickets cost up to $179.