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In Hollywood, it’s not always about how long you’re on screen, it’s about how much you make while you’re there. A recent analysis matched actors’ screen time in the films that earned them Oscar nominations, then matched that with their reported paychecks. The result? A ranking of stars making jaw-dropping amounts per minute on screen.
From blink-and-you-miss-it performances to full-on lead roles, these actors cashed in big, even with limited screen time. Here are the top 10 highest-paid actors based on their per-minute screen time. The earnings are calculated based on the actors’ screen time in the films for which they received an Academy Award nomination, per Tradingpedia. The numbers are in, and they’re just as outrageous as you’d expect.
Top 10 Highest-Paid Actors Per Minute Of Screen Time
Here’s a list of the highest-paid actors, ranked by their per-minute earnings in the film that earned them an Academy Award nomination.
1. Ryan Gosling: Let’s start with Barbie’s golden boy. Ryan Gosling pulled in a clean $12.5 million for bringing Ken to life. His screen time sits just under 30 minutes, which means Gosling banked nearly $431K for every single minute he was on screen. That’s top of the chart and worth every sparkly rollerblade.
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2. Emily Blunt: Emily Blunt may have played the quiet backbone in Oppenheimer, but her numbers speak loud. Blunt reportedly took home $4 million for portraying Kitty Oppenheimer, giving her a tidy $237.6K per minute of screen time. All this while sharing space with some of the biggest male stars in the business.
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3. Emma Stone: For Poor Things, Emma Stone earned $22.5 million, which works out to around $231.2K per minute. Not only did she win an Oscar for her role, but she also claimed 64 percent of the film’s entire production budget. That’s not just lead actress energy. That’s “carry the film and cash the check” energy.
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4. Mark Ruffalo: Mark Ruffalo, also from Poor Things, made his scenes count. With a reported $6 million salary and only 31 minutes of screen time, he earned around $192.8K per minute. For a supporting role, that’s no small win.
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5. Robert Downey Jr.: Then comes the veteran charm of Robert Downey Jr. For Oppenheimer, the man once synonymous with Tony Stark, signed up for just $4 million. But his per-minute rate still landed at $167.8k. Not too shabby for a role many critics now consider one of his finest.
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6. Bradley Cooper: Bradley Cooper’s Maestro performance put him on screen for 72 percent of the runtime. Yet, his $10 million payout translates to $107.6k per minute. When you’re acting, directing, producing, and still managing to earn six figures a minute, the math speaks for itself.
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7. Robert Di Niro: De Niro was Oscar-nominated for Silver Linings Playbook (supporting actor) and earned approximately $940,706 in salary. The film runs 122 minutes. Assuming De Niro appeared for around 20 minutes (typical for a supporting role), his per-minute pay would be roughly $47,035. That’s a high return for limited screen time, powered by his legendary status and prestige recognition.
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8. Sterling K Brown: Emmy and Golden Globe winner Sterling K. Brown earned his first Oscar nod for American Fiction alongside Wright. Per-episode earnings on This Is Us reached $250 k, totaling $4.5 million a season. Though his per-minute film figures aren’t public, his award-winning gravitas and streaming/TV dominance suggest Brown commands similarly lucrative rates for high-impact, prestige performances.
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9. Cillian Murphy: Cillian Murphy headlined Oppenheimer with a $10 million paycheck, matching Cooper in gross pay. But with a longer runtime, Murphy earned around $88.3K per minute. Still impressive, but proof that more time doesn’t always mean more cash.
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10. Jeffrey Wright: Jeffrey Wright scored around $4 million for American Fiction, produced on a $10 million budget, earning approximately $34 K per screen minute across its 117-minute runtime. His first Best Actor nomination (Oscars) in decades highlights his shift from elite supporting player to leading man. Wright’s commanding presence proves that brief screen time can deliver premium earnings when it comes with depth and acclaim.
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How Actor Paychecks Quietly Outshine Budgets And Steal The Spotlight?
Now zoom out. When we compare these salaries to production budgets, the numbers turn even wilder. Stone’s paycheck alone nearly matched Poor Things’ entire budget. Gosling’s cut made up 4.24 percent of Barbie’s colossal spend. And Blunt’s paycheck covered a fraction of Oppenheimer’s towering cost, yet still earned her top-dollar rates.
Outside the Oscars circle, actors like Tom Cruise set a different standard. Top Gun: Maverick made Cruise over $100 million, thanks to a back-end deal. His upfront salary was $12.5 million, but his percentage of the box office made him the real high-flyer. Even Jeffrey Wright, known more for prestige than box office flex, made $4 million for American Fiction. That’s 40 percent of the film’s micro-budget. Suddenly, every close-up becomes a high-stakes moment.
How Emma Stones, Ryan Gosling & Tom Cruise Turned Roles Into Goldmines
As for those who make millions look small, there are only three actors with billion-dollar net worths. Jami Gertz tops the list, thanks largely to her marriage to investor Tony Ressler. Tyler Perry, the creative mind behind Madea, turned his media empire into $1.4 billion. And Jerry Seinfeld rides syndication checks from his iconic sitcom to maintain his spot on the billionaires list.
When it comes to wealth, most actors build theirs beyond the screen: production deals, ownership stakes, royalties. But when it comes to earning the most for just showing up and speaking a few lines, the per-minute breakdown tells a more brutal, brilliant story.
So yes, some actors literally earn millions for five lines. And the only thing more impressive than their paychecks might just be their screen presence.
For more such stories, check out Hollywood News
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