Johnny Depp is not willing to take a pay cut for his craft.
The actor has just bowed out of director Barry Levinson's highly-anticipated biopic, "Black Mass"— about Boston gangster Whitey Bulger— after being asked to take a 50% pay cut from his normal fee.
But the actor's normal fee is a reported $20 million — still leaving him with a hefty $10 million in the bank!
Here's what went down, according to The Hollywood Reporter:
Depp was to have been paid his usual quote of $20 million, according to sources, but with sales of the project at Cannes on the soft side, producers were looking to trim the budget, in the high $60 million range. Depp was asked to take half, according to sources, and the actor and his reps at UTA refused.
With Depp's upcoming "The Lone Ranger" film already getting negative press after a production delay, the actor is in desperate need of a hit film.
Good thing Depp will be reprising his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean 5" lined up for 2015. Automatic $20 million paycheck, ka-ching.
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