Emilia Clarke Sets the Record Straight on Game of Thrones Salary

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Emilia Clarke will not bend the knee to false narratives.

Following online speculation about cast salaries on the popular HBO series Game of Thrones, the actress who played Daenerys Targaryen clarified how much she earned. Rumors claimed actors were paid $300,000 per episode at the show’s peak, but she revealed the truth about her pay for the eight seasons she starred in, from 2011 to 2019.

In a recent interview with Variety published on May 29th, Clarke admitted they didn’t make a lot of money. She joked, “It’s hard to believe – I could have been driving a couple of Porsches!”

The 39-year-old actress also mentioned that her earnings from the Game of Thrones series allowed her to pay off her parents’ home loan, providing them with financial security.

Clarke explained that when playing Daenerys Targaryen, she deeply connected with the character’s journey, trying to understand and feel every decision as if it were her own. She saw this emotional connection as the core of her work on the show.

Clarke actually feels grateful she wasn’t made an executive producer, which often happens with the main stars of popular TV shows.

She explained that she only contributed her acting skills to the project and didn’t offer any other creative ideas, jokingly adding that she wouldn’t have been capable of doing so earlier in her career.

Clarke also prioritized her health during this period. She experienced two brain hemorrhages while filming the show—one after the first season in 2011 and another after the third in 2013.

The actor, known for their role in Secret Invasion, shared that they spent years feeling like they’d narrowly escaped death and that it was coming back to haunt them. They admitted to genuinely believing they’d made a mistake and didn’t deserve to be alive.

She added with a laugh, “I even worried it would end my acting career—and honestly, some people might say it did!”

Clarke described the decade leading up to now as a particularly difficult time, marked by intense personal struggles, including the loss of her father in 2016. However, she now feels she has moved past those challenges and is in a much better place.

Honestly, getting to this point has been a whole journey! I’ve been through so much, but I’m finally able to just be incredibly thankful for everything Game of Thrones brought into my life. It’s such a weight off my shoulders – I don’t feel stuck by it anymore, or by anything that happened because of it. I just feel… lucky. So incredibly lucky it happened to me, and even more lucky that I’ve had the time to really process everything it meant.

For more stars spilling details about their Hollywood paychecks, read on.

Okay, so I was listening to Jenna Johnson – the Jenna Johnson, who won with Joey last season, and she let slip something amazing! Apparently, even though there’s no big cash prize for winning Dancing With the Stars, everyone who makes it to the finale still gets paid all the way through! And she said there’s even a bonus on top of that! Can you believe it? It’s not just about the mirrorball, it’s a little something extra for all their hard work, and honestly, that makes me love the show even MORE!

Johnson explained that winning doesn’t come with a huge financial reward – it’s more about the trophy. While professional dancers’ earnings 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 begin with a $125,000 salary. As they progress in the competition, celebrities also receive bonuses, with those reaching the semifinals and finals potentially earning an additional $50,000.

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

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 that it’s often awkward for women to ask for equal pay. She’s observed that when discrepancies are questioned, explanations are often vague and avoid directly addressing whether gender plays a role.

Jennifer Lawrence’s positive outlook on the issue came after a difficult battle. When the 2014 Sony email leak revealed she was paid less than her male co-stars in the 2013 film American Hustle, it sparked a widespread discussion about unequal pay for 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 – getting millions for a film isn’t what bothered me. I was upset by the broader issues of unfairness and inequality.’

Compared to Leonardo DiCaprio’s earnings, Jonah Hill received a relatively small $60,000 for his work in the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street – before taxes and commissions. This is significantly less than the $10 million earned by the lead actor.

In a 2014 interview on The Howard Stern Show, Hill remembered being offered very little money for the role. However, he was eager to accept because it was an opportunity to work on a film directed by Martin Scorsese, and he wanted to finalize the deal quickly before anyone reconsidered.

According to actor Jonah Hill, he’d be willing to make huge sacrifices – even sell his house and give away all his money – just for the chance to work with director Martin Scorsese. He explained that while films like 22 Jump Street help pay the bills, true fulfillment comes from pursuing passion projects. Hill said he’d do it all over again and emphasized that meaningful work isn’t about the money, it’s about doing something you genuinely care about.

The actress hinted that the main cast of Friends—Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc—each earn around $20 million annually from the show’s continued broadcasts. She jokingly suggested to The Times in April 2026 that the reason is simply “Because Phoebe Buffay was so great!”

But in actuality, she praised the talents of her costars for their performances.

I thought my performance was decent, but Jennifer and Courteney were incredible! David and Matt were hilarious, and Matthew—he was in a league of his own.

According to Joe Giudice, he and his ex-wife Teresa Giudice didn’t make much money during the first season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. He said on his daughter Gia’s Casual Chaos podcast in August 2025 that they earned around $25,000, which he considered very little, but they accepted it.

Creating the first season of the show wasn’t inexpensive. The father of four recalled, “I remember that big party we threw in my living room. I’d estimate the whole first season cost me around $150,000.”

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

Oh my gosh, you guys, I read this interview and I just have to share! Apparently, when they first offered her the role, it was only $35,000! Can you believe it?! But she said it was the BEST $35,000 she ever made! She told Essence that it completely changed her life and she learned SO much from the experience. Seriously, it’s amazing to hear how much that one role meant to her – it just proves how talented and dedicated she is!

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

Looking back on the film that launched her career, Lopez explained to Variety in 2019 that she was naive at the time and didn’t fully understand what was happening. She remembered being thrilled by the million-dollar offer and believed the project was a significant moment for everyone involved.

This success allowed her to earn hundreds of millions of dollars, 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 revealed she wasn’t highly paid for the film Hustlers, and even produced it herself, choosing to invest in her own vision. She described it as a matter of believing in herself, much like the spirit behind her song Jenny From the Block – doing what truly inspires her.

Adrien Brody wasn’t motivated by money when he made The Brutalist. He chose the role of a struggling Hungarian architect in post-World War II America – and earned $250,000 and his second Best Actor Oscar for it.

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

When asked about his early spending habits after joining Saturday Night Live in 2014 at age 20, Pete Davidson joked to New York magazine, “Do you know how much we make?” He then quipped, “It was about $3,000 per episode, so I probably just bought dinner.”

It’s notable that pay has stayed consistent for new cast members on SNL. In 1975, the original season one stars – John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, and Chevy Chase – each earned $750 per episode. Adjusted for inflation, that’s about $3,300 in 2014, and approximately $4,428 in 2025.

Kenan Thompson earns considerably more than $3,000 per episode of SNL these days, especially as he begins his 22nd season on the show. However, he didn’t always make that much and started with much smaller paychecks, like many performers do.

I was so excited when I got paid for my first commercial! It was $800, and honestly, being only 12 years old, it felt like a million bucks. I remember telling everyone about it in Demi Lovato’s ‘Child Star’ documentary from 2024.

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. She told Jimmy Kimmel in March 2025 that she’s instead been ‘paid in love and appreciation.’

Okay, so Tommy Dorfman really opened up during the SAG-AFTRA strike, and honestly, it made so much sense! She actually talked about how little she earned for 13 Reasons Why, and it was shocking! Apparently, Netflix – and other streamers – don’t really share the wealth when a show becomes a huge hit with residuals, and that’s a big part of why everyone was striking. It’s just… unfair that the people who make the shows don’t benefit when they’re massively successful. I was so glad she spoke up about it!

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 (a combined 20% fee), and taxes were taken out. She worked on 8 episodes over six months, doing all the promotional work and appearing in key promotional images. 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.

Dorfman also noted that the show’s first season quickly became very popular, reaching 476 million hours of viewership within just 28 days – a key reason for the strike.

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 any specific salaries or names, but made it clear he earned significantly less than many of his colleagues.

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

Before becoming a parent, I always made it a priority to discover how much my colleagues were earning. I’d either ask them directly or find out through my agent.

He deliberately avoided finding out details about his family history at work, and this helped him appreciate the experience, even when he started to realize his position within the company’s hierarchy.

You know, getting a film made sometimes means getting really creative with the finances! I remember back in 2005, I was telling the Los Angeles Times about how we got ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’ off the ground. It was a passion project, so Grant Heslov and I basically paid for it ourselves. I ended up endorsing my director’s check and giving up my acting salary, and Grant did the same. We each literally made a dollar for the whole thing! It’s a testament to believing in a story, even if it meant a bit of a financial sacrifice.

George Clooney’s passion project, a play about CBS News journalist Edward R. Murrow and his courageous reporting in the 1950s, proved to be a success. Clooney made his Broadway debut playing Murrow, and the show ran through June 2025. Even before its official opening on April 3rd, the play broke Broadway records for non-musicals, earning $3.3 million during previews, proving it was a financial success far beyond a simple $1.

As a lifestyle expert, I’m always fascinated by behind-the-scenes stories, and Christian Bale recently shared a really interesting one! He revealed that he was paid practically the lowest amount possible for his iconic role as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. Apparently, the studio wasn’t initially eager to cast him – it was really director Mary Harron who championed him for the part. He told GQ about it a couple of years ago, and it just goes to show you never know what goes on behind the scenes, even with huge stars and iconic films!

Bale recalled earning so little money that he remembered the makeup artists joking he was paid less than they were, while he was sitting in the makeup trailer.

Oh my gosh, you won’t BELIEVE this! I just found out that even though his uncle was Rico – Rico! – Jon Heder only made a thousand dollars for the first version of Napoleon Dynamite! He actually told someone back in 2010! A thousand dollars for a cinematic masterpiece! It’s insane! I mean, he deserved so much more, but it’s kind of amazing he even did it for that, honestly. It just makes me love the movie even MORE!

Once the unexpectedly successful comedy film took off, he successfully asked for a share of the earnings. He told the New Zealand Herald that the offer was increased.

Despite a successful career with acclaimed films like Amistad and Blood Diamond, Djimon Hounsou believes 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 even with two Oscar nominations and roles in many successful blockbusters—he still finds it difficult to earn a living.

In her 2024 memoir, Rebel Rising, Rebel Wilson revealed she earned $3,500 for her role in Bridesmaids, but the entire amount went to joining the Screen Actors Guild. 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, along with other professional fees, she still considered her earnings to be 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 large 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, 48-year-old Pompeo explained that she’s reached a point in her career where she confidently asks for fair compensation, something she feels comes with experience. She acknowledged the industry often doesn’t see her as ‘relevant’ after playing the same character for 14 years. However, she pointed out that while many actors can perform well during a show’s first couple of seasons, maintaining that quality for 14 years demonstrates a 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 titular character, and she stated she didn’t resent him for it.

Honestly, hearing Alex talk about it on Call Her Daddy back in March 2025 just broke my heart. She explained it wasn’t about him getting his due, it was about her not being valued the same way, especially considering the show was literally named after her! She said it was so hard to get them to see that, and she doesn’t think they ever will. It just feels so unfair, you know? Like, she created the whole thing, and they didn’t appreciate that enough. It’s just…ugh, it gets me every time.

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, practically no one involved in the film received significant payment.

Although the lead actress made a good amount of money, director John Carpenter’s friend, Nick Castle, felt very successful earning $25 a day for sharing 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 really busy time,” said Castle, who went to film school with Carpenter at USC. He explained to Vanity Fair in 2018 that he was mainly interested in getting on set to learn how movies were made and to understand directing. “I thought I’d be working for free, so getting paid $25 a day just for wearing a rubber mask was a nice surprise!”

Taraji P. Henson received an Oscar nomination for her supporting role in the 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. However, she was still frustrated years later that she only earned $150,000 for the movie, despite initially requesting $500,000.

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

She explained that she was also bringing significant value to the project and felt her salary request was reasonable, considering how much she expected the film to earn. She wouldn’t have accepted less. Taraji P. Henson said she was devastated when they initially offered her only $100,000. Ultimately, she negotiated a salary of $150,000, but admitted it was difficult to accept, even after getting a raise.

Honestly, it’s frustrating when people react to a $150,000 income like it’s a huge amount without understanding everything that gets taken out of it. I never want to seem ungrateful, because I truly appreciate any success I’ve had. But let me tell you how it really breaks down: first, the government takes about half, leaving you with $75,000. Then, before taxes even come out, I have to pay my team – around 30 percent of the original amount. So after Uncle Sam and my team both get their share, I’m left wondering if I actually made around $40,000? It’s just not as simple as the initial number seems.

Although Cate Blanchett has earned a substantial income throughout her career, 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 income.

Oh my god, you will NOT believe what she said! Andy Cohen was asking about her biggest paycheck on Watch What Happens Live last August, and he guessed Lord of the Rings! She totally shut him down! She was like, ‘No! No one even got paid for that movie!’ Can you believe it? She said she basically worked for free, just got free sandwiches, and got to keep her ears from the costume! It’s just… iconic. I’m obsessed with everything about it!

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

Hopefully he also got to keep his ears.

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2026-05-29 23:51