These are more serious, behind-the-scenes questions.
What do you think teen drama stars get paid per episode?
What do you think they should get paid?
I know it probably varies not only show-to-show but season-to-season.
I remember it was a huge deal when the Friends cast got $1 million each per episode but I have no idea what the standard is.
What are your thoughts?
TeenDramaWhore 
Hmmm, I would assume they get paid around $250,000 per episode. Give or take a little considering if they are series regulars or newbies. I think that’s a fair salary, unlike the Friends’ pay. 1 Million per episode is just ridiculous, I don’t care how big of a hit it was. That’s just crazy. But I know every studio and network has a budget, so like you, I’m not sure what the standard is. I’m interested to know how much the difference is, say, between when the OTH main cast made in the first season to what they make now in the 7th season.
I guess if the studio/network is willing to pay them a ridiculous amount in order to get/keep them around then I’m okay with that. But, I do have a problem with actors declining to come back for more episodes/seasons because they want more money and think they will be paid more elsewhere. That is just greedy, because their job is no where near difficult enough to haggle over that kind of money. Mostly, I take issue with many actors level self-importance. You know, when they think they are too good for a project or think that the material is not up to standards (i.e. the cast of Grey’s Anatomy … even though I love that show). I find that to be the most irritating quality of an actor.
Alyssa, are you referring to the rumors about CMM and One Tree Hill or just talking generally?
I do think salaries should be disclosed. They frequently are with movies.
Probably $15-25K per episode for smaller players, and $100-200K per ep. for the bigger stars. Younger actors don’t typically get the really big paychecks, as a general rule.
Thanks for the comment, Screen Sleuth. Smaller players isn’t the opposite of biggers stars, IMO. For instance, Rob Estes is a bigger star technically than Jessica Lowndes but Jessica is a bigger player on 90210 than Rob is.
Small players (again, IMO) refers to the role you have on a show while bigger stars refers to your role in the entertainment business. Rob Estes, then, is technically both of these. He’s a small player on 90210 but he’s a bigger star in the entertainment industry.
So what happens when the younger actors are the stars of the show? They’re not small players but they’re not bigger stars, either. I would assume, I guess, that the longevity is key and, as you said, because they are younger, they don’t get the bigger paychecks. Estes quite possibly gets paid more than Lowndes just because of who is, even though he’s a secondary character and Lowndes is a lead.
TDW, I was referring in general, mostly because the CMM stuff is sketchy and we never really got definitive reasons for his departure. Chad seems sketchy in general too. Sometimes he comes off as down-to-earth and mildy intelligent, but other times he seems to be just a clueless idiot that was only given a chance because of his looks.
Well, I’m glad you didn’t explicitly mean him and are able to recognize that we don’t know the real story of what happened with him leaving the show. Many fans have formed their opinions (either in favor or against him) based on all the rumors, which isn’t fair to the show or him. I don’t know that we’ll ever get a direct answer but until we do, I’m going to keep an open mind. I do agree with you that we’ve seen two sides of him, but the media is definitely partly to blame for that. I try my best to reserve judgment and still report the news without posting the unnecessarily negative, exploitative things.
Yeah, you’re right. We should hold judgement because we don’t know the truth. However, this is the second time that there has been a big debate over his actions (referring to his split with Sophia). This makes two questions that we may never get an answer to. It makes it difficult to be a fan of his, which I don’t think I am anymore.
I completely understand and respect that. Many people feel the same way. And by all accounts, even if we don’t know all the details, it seems without a doubt that Sophia was the victim in their relationship/divorce. And I can see how that combined with the rumors surrounding his departure (not to mention the latest comments from Busy and JVDB) can leave a bad taste in people’s mouth. We could make the argument that none of these issues are any of our business but we could also make the argument that they all are as they affected the show(s). But, at least with the issue of him leaving, it’s definitely not cut and dry as to what happened (and, I guess, the same with Busy and JVDB as there’s two sides–or more–to every story) and I think it’s important to at least point that out. And you do understand that so I can step off my soapbox now LOL (And, of course, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, anyway.)
Lol, I’m okay with people “standing on their soapboxes” as long as they justify their opinions, which you do very well. And you also make a good point about if it’s any of our business. And honestly it isn’t, atleast not the personal side of it. But these actors are supposed to be role models and their job requires them to be public figures, so I don’t see a problem with questioning an actors actions, integrity, or persona.
That’s a great point, as well. On another site, Sophia is frequently discussed in regards to this. Without getting into a debate about her–or any other actor–I can see to some extent how their personal life can matter. In Chad’s case, even beyond the role model/public figure aspect, the issues definitely seem to have affected the show(s) so I do understand a lot more how people feel that is their business.