Ben Affleck Says Paying Good Will Hunting Taxes Was Like “an Ex-Wife”

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It turns out Ben Affleck wasn’t quite the accountant early in his career. 

Following a $325,000 payment he and his close friend Matt Damon received for selling the script of their Oscar-winning movie, he explained the hefty tax bill he was facing.

Ben jokingly told Howard during a joint interview with Matt on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show on January 12th that he was surprised to learn about taxes. He playfully asked, ‘Wait, so who takes half of my money?’

He joked that starting a business partnership felt like going through a divorce, constantly needing to split things up. He quickly added that the comment wasn’t meant to be about anyone in particular, especially not his ex-wife, Jennifer Lopez, whom he divorced last January.

Matt, who was 26 at the time and Ben, 24, started making Good Will Hunting, and Matt later said they were surprised by how much money went to taxes. He explained they knew one person would take half the profits, but they hadn’t realized so many others would as well, and were confused about where the money was going.

Ben Affleck shares three children – Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 13 – with his former wife, Jennifer Garner. Despite now being well-established in Hollywood, he remembers and acknowledges his past mistakes.

Ben Affleck confessed that he and Matt Damon, both fathers to daughters – Alexia, 25, Isabella, 19, Gia, 17, and Sally, 15, with Matt’s wife Luciana Barroso Damon – quickly spent a lot of their early earnings.

Ben shared in a June 2024 interview on Peacock’s Hart to Heart that he quickly spent all his money. He explained that he and another person immediately bought new Jeep Grand Cherokees as soon as they received their first paychecks, both asking, ‘When can I get my Jeep?’

Even though Ben was a houseguest in Matt’s living room, he jokingly said he got the car before he even got off the couch, implying he acted very quickly.

Once they started becoming famous, he and Matt—having previously shared a bank account when they first arrived in Hollywood—used their growing success to rent a house in the Hollywood Hills.

He explained that they had no credit history, but a story about them had appeared in Variety magazine. It suggested they were promising young writers after selling a script. To convince the landlord to rent them a space, they showed him the article, essentially saying, ‘We may not have good credit, but this shows we’re a good bet.’

Ben admits his past financial decisions weren’t ideal, but he stands by them completely. He says he’d make the exact same choices again, even knowing what he knows now.

For more celebs who’ve shared a glimpse at their paychecks, keep reading.

According to Joe Giudice, he and his ex-wife, Teresa Giudice, barely earned anything for the first season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. He revealed on his daughter Gia Giudice’s podcast, Casual Chaos, in August 2025, that their pay was around $25,000, which he considered quite low, but they accepted it.

Creating the first season of the show wasn’t inexpensive. The father of four remembered hosting a large party in his living room and estimated the show initially cost him around $150,000.

Although the winner of Dancing With the Stars doesn’t receive a cash prize, all finalists are paid throughout the competition, and receive a bonus, according to season 33 winner Jenna Johnson, who won with partner Joey Graziadei.

Johnson explained that winning doesn’t come with a huge financial reward; it’s more about the experience and a trophy. While dancers are guaranteed a paycheck for a certain number of weeks, salaries start around $1,200 to $1,600 per episode and can potentially reach $100,000 for the entire season (though ABC hasn’t confirmed these figures). Celebrities, on the other hand, start at a salary of $125,000. As they progress in the competition, they also earn bonuses, with semifinalists and finalists potentially receiving an additional $50,000.

Jennifer Lawrence, who has won an Academy Award, earned $25 million for her role in Adam McKay’s comedy film Don’t Look Up. However, her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio, also an Oscar winner, received $30 million for the same film.

Jennifer Lawrence acknowledged that Leonardo DiCaprio earns more at the box office than she does. While she’s happy with her own earnings, she explained to Vanity Fair in December 2020/January 2021 that she’s observed a pattern – and many other women likely have too – where asking about equal pay is awkward. And when someone does question a pay difference, they’re often told it’s not about gender, but given no specific explanation for the disparity.

Jennifer Lawrence’s positive outlook came after a difficult battle. When the 2014 Sony email leak showed she was paid less than her male co-stars in the 2013 film American Hustle, it sparked a widespread discussion about the difference in pay between men and women in Hollywood.

In a 2017 interview with Channel 4 News, Lawrence explained she wasn’t worried about her earnings. ‘I’m lucky to have the job I do,’ she said. ‘It wasn’t about the money – I wasn’t disappointed with how much I made on a film. I was upset by the broader issues of unfairness and inequality.’

As a lifestyle expert, I often get asked about Hollywood salaries, and the contrast between what different actors earn is always fascinating. While Leonardo DiCaprio made a whopping $10 million for The Wolf of Wall Street, it’s interesting to note that Jonah Hill, also a key part of that film, earned $60,000 – and that was before taxes and commissions! It really puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?

Hill said they offered him very little money during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show in 2014. However, he was excited about the opportunity to be in a film directed by Martin Scorsese, so he quickly agreed to the deal, worried they might reconsider.

Hill, a two-time Best Supporting Actor nominee known for playing a jittery, drug-using stockbroker, said he’d be willing to sacrifice everything to work with director Martin Scorsese. He explained that while films like 22 Jump Street are good for paying the bills, he’d do anything – and would do it again immediately – for a passion project. For Hill, it’s not about the money; it’s about pursuing work you truly believe in.

Oprah Winfrey happily accepted only a little bit of green to star in 1985’s The Color Purple.

In a 2023 interview with Essence, the media billionaire said they were initially offered just $35,000 for the film, but it turned out to be the most valuable $35,000 they ever made. They explained that the experience was transformative and taught them a great deal.

Jennifer Lopez made history when she played the late Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla in the 1997 movie Selena. She was the first Latina actress to be paid $1 million for a film role.

Looking back at the film that launched her career, Lopez admitted to Variety in 2019 that she was naive at the time and didn’t fully understand what was happening. She was grateful for the million-dollar offer and sensed that everyone involved was trying to make a point.

This success allowed her to earn hundreds of millions of dollars more, and often she doesn’t even have to invest any of her own money to do so.

In a 2019 interview with GQ, Jennifer Lopez explained that she pursues projects out of passion, not just for financial gain. She shared that she wasn’t highly paid for Hustlers, and even produced it herself, choosing to invest in her own vision. She described it as a consistent approach, similar to the spirit behind her song Jenny From the Block – doing what she loves.

Adrien Brody wasn’t motivated by financial gain when he accepted the role in The Brutalist. He took on the part of a struggling Hungarian architect in post-World War II America for a salary of $250,000 and ultimately won his second Academy Award for Best Actor.

Brody told Variety he’s ready to star in a big studio film, explaining he’s invested everything he has into renovating a unique property – a barn resembling a castle – in upstate New York.

Oh my god, you guys will NOT believe what I just read! Pete Davidson was talking about when he first started on SNL – back in 2014, when he was only 20! – and he said, ‘Do you guys know what they pay us?’ Apparently, it was only about three grand per episode! He joked that all he could afford was dinner! Can you believe it? Pete Davidson, a legend, living off three grand and a dream! It’s just… iconic. I need to re-read that a million times.

As a lifestyle expert, I always find it fascinating to look back at how things used to be, even when it comes to salaries! It’s interesting to note that when Saturday Night Live first started, the original cast – John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, and Chevy Chase – were all paid roughly the same amount. Back in 1975, they earned about $750 per episode. Now, when you adjust for inflation, that’s like around $3,300 in 2014 dollars, and even more – about $4,428 – if you look at 2025 values. It really puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?

Kenan Thompson earns significantly more than $3,000 per episode of SNL these days, especially since he’s currently in his 22nd season. However, he began his career like everyone else, starting with much smaller paychecks.

In Demi Lovato’s 2024 documentary, Child Star, a former cast member of All That shared that their first paycheck was $800. They added that, being 12 years old at the time, it felt like a fortune – practically a million dollars.

It turns out Gilmore Girls’ status as a beloved rewatchable classic is literally priceless.

Lauren Graham, best known for playing Lorelai Gilmore for seven seasons and then returning for the 2016 revival Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, recently shared that she doesn’t receive any ongoing payments (residuals) from Netflix. Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live in March 2025, she joked that she’s been compensated with ‘love and appreciation’ instead.

During the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, actress Tommy Dorfman revealed details about her pay for the show 13 Reasons Why. The strike, along with the WGA strike, was partly caused by streaming services like Netflix not sharing additional profits with actors and crew even when a show became very popular.

Dorfman revealed on Threads on July 24th that she earned $29,953.24 for the first season of 13 Reasons Why before her agency, manager (combined 20%), and taxes took their cut. She worked on 8 episodes over six months, doing all the promotional work and appearing in key artwork for the show. She also traveled frequently between New York City and San Francisco to film, often working for days without pay and barely qualifying for health insurance.

As a lifestyle expert, I’m always watching what’s trending, and the numbers for this show are huge. Within just the first month of its release, Season 1 racked up an incredible 476 million hours viewed! That’s why we made the move – these kinds of numbers demonstrate the impact this content has, and we needed to protect it.

Dax Shepard recently shared with Lauren Graham, a former co-star on their show Parenthood, that he was one of the lowest-paid actors during the show’s six-season run on NBC. He didn’t reveal specific names or salary figures.

But, the Armchair Expert host stressed that he did not mind.

I’ve always been really curious about salaries. Before I became a parent, with every job I took, I made it my mission to find out what everyone else was earning. I’d either just ask directly, or I’d work through my agent to get the information – I always figured it out somehow!

I’ve always admired how he deliberately avoided digging into details about his family history with Parenthood. It really seemed to help him enjoy the game, even when he started to figure out where his character stood in terms of earnings. He just didn’t want to know, and it made the experience better for him, honestly.

In 2005, George Clooney told the Los Angeles Times that he and Grant Heslov each only made one dollar from their film, Good Night, and Good Luck. Clooney explained that he had to cash his directing check and forgo his acting salary to get the movie made, and Heslov did the same.

George Clooney’s passion project, a play about CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow and his courageous reporting in the 1950s, proved highly successful. Clooney made his Broadway debut playing Murrow, concluding his run in June 2025. The play earned a record-breaking $3.3 million during its preview week before officially opening on April 3rd, demonstrating it was a significant financial success beyond just a small gain.

Christian Bale revealed in a 2022 interview with GQ that he earned very little for his iconic role as Patrick Bateman in the 2000 film American Psycho. He explained that the production didn’t strongly want him, and he was only cast because director Mary Harron was a supporter.

Bale recalled earning so little money that he remembered the makeup artists on set joking that he was paid less than they were.

Although his uncle was Rico, Jon Heder revealed in 2010 that he was originally paid just $1,000 for his role in Napoleon Dynamite.

Once the unexpectedly popular comedy film became a success, he successfully asked for a share of the earnings. He told the New Zealand Herald that his request resulted in a slightly better deal.

Despite a successful career with acclaimed films like Amistad and Blood Diamond, Djimon Hounsou feels he doesn’t earn enough money in Hollywood.

The Beninese actor shared with CNN’s Larry Madowo in January 2025 that despite working in film for over twenty years, and having received two Oscar nominations and appeared in numerous blockbuster movies, he continues to struggle financially to support himself.

In her 2024 memoir, Rebel Rising, Rebel Wilson revealed she earned $3,500 for her work on Bridesmaids, but had to pay the entire amount to the Screen Actors Guild to become a union member. Essentially, she didn’t receive any money for the film.

Still, she wrote, the experience was “everything!”

The Australian actress’s career soared, and her salary increased dramatically from $65,000 for Pitch Perfect in 2012 to $10 million for Pitch Perfect 3 in 2017. She earned a total of $20 million from Pitch Perfect 3, Isn’t It Romantic, and The Hustle. However, after paying nearly 50% in taxes, 10% to her agents, and 5% to her lawyer, plus covering the costs of her publicist, business manager, and assistant, she still considered her earnings a huge success.

In late 2017, Ellen Pompeo successfully negotiated a new contract for her role on Grey’s Anatomy. The deal paid her $575,000 per episode, included a substantial signing bonus, and gave her a stake in the show’s profits, estimated to be worth between $6 and $7 million.

In a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Pompeo, then 48, explained that she’d reached a point where she felt comfortable demanding fair compensation. She attributed this confidence to maturity, acknowledging the industry often doesn’t view her as a leading actress due to her long-running role over 14 years. However, she argued that while many actors can perform well during a show’s first couple of seasons, maintaining that quality after 14 years demonstrates real talent.

Ellen Pompeo recently thought about the fact that she consistently earned less than her “Grey’s Anatomy” costar, Patrick Dempsey, despite being the show’s namesake, and she clarified that she wasn’t resentful of his higher salary.

In a March 2025 episode of her podcast, Call Her Daddy, she explained that she felt she deserved equal recognition, considering the show was named after her. She wasn’t upset that someone else received success, but rather that her contributions weren’t valued as much, and she believed that would always be the case.

Jamie Lee Curtis remembers earning $2,000 per week, totaling $8,000, for her first movie, the 1978 film Halloween. As she explained to Rotten Tomatoes in 2018, “Really, nobody was paid much at all.”

Although the lead actress made a good amount of money, director John Carpenter’s friend, Nick Castle, felt very fortunate earning $25 a day to share the role of Michael Myers. (Actually, Anthony Moran is the face you briefly see when the killer’s mask comes off, and editor Tommy Lee Wallace also appeared on screen as Michael.)

Looking back, it was a whirlwind,” said Castle, who went to film school with Carpenter at USC. He told Vanity Fair in 2018 that his main reason for joining the film was to learn how movies are made and get a behind-the-scenes look at directing. “I thought I’d be observing for free, but I ended up making $25 a day just for wearing a rubber mask!”

Taraji P. Henson was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. However, she was frustrated that she only received $150,000 for the movie, even though she initially asked for $500,000.

In a 2021 interview on the Ladies First With Laura Brown podcast, producer Dede Henson discussed the high salaries of the film’s stars, Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. She noted that $20 million paychecks for actors were less common at the time, but added, “They absolutely deserved what they were paid.”

She explained that she was also bringing value to the project and believed her salary request was reasonable, considering how much the film would likely earn from ticket sales. She wouldn’t have accepted anything less. Henson said she was very disappointed when they initially offered only $100,000. Ultimately, she ended up with $150,000, but admitted it was difficult to accept less than she felt she deserved.

Henson understands people might think $150,000 is a lot of money, but she wants to be clear she’s not ungrateful. However, after taxes and paying her team, the actual amount she keeps is significantly less. She estimates that after the government takes 50%, she’s left with $75,000. Then, after paying her team 30% of the original amount, she’s left with around $40,000.

Cate Blanchett has earned a substantial income throughout her career, but her role as the elf Galadriel in the hugely successful The Lord of the Rings films – which made $2.9 billion worldwide – wasn’t her sole source of revenue.

She was shocked when Andy Cohen suggested The Lord of the Rings was her most lucrative role during an August 2024 appearance on Watch What Happens Live. “Absolutely not,” she replied. “Nobody made any real money on that film—I basically got paid in free sandwiches and got to keep my elf ears!”

Orlando Bloom, known for his role as Legolas in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, revealed in a 2023 interview on The Howard Stern Show that he earned only $175,000 for all three films.

Hopefully he also got to keep his ears.

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2026-01-14 00:55