Banned
Member Since: 8/24/2003
Posts: 4,785
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I think the paycheck does and can (but not all the time) reflect the proportion of viewers they get domestically and/or worldwide e.g. in a series like Friends the cast were getting more then many movie stars. Friends is an extreme example of economically lucrative television but there are and have been many series which elevate the stars to household names and attract advertising deals or other positions in popular tv or media.
However, I don't think a paycheck will always or often reflect actining ability because many writers or forget that, directors have a mental image of the person they want to hire for parts before they see auditions etc, hence instead of having a character and filling the role with a person who actually encompasses it it best, it's a balance of picking a person that physically fits the bill and can at least play the part (hopefully well). If the person they pick both physically and mentally fits the character and does very well, that's a bonus. Therefore, many people who could of played the part better don't get the part because they don't meet the director's vision and in addition to that many writers don't get that much say in the casting or directing.
Of course, however, there will always be some actors whose paycheck reflects their ability - for example, I think Reese Witherspoon and Julia Roberts deserve their positions in Hollywood although I'm not so keen on the movies Julia had to do to get there. BUT, remember, people who are successful (from well to mega rich) in the entertainment industry always get more then their ability warrants because their position in society is not really important, it's emphasised and glamourised to be a distraction to the important things and one good doctor is worth more then the lot of them. I'm not denying that the industry can have a profound effect on people, I'm just saying there's too much emphasis on it and not enough on other areas.
As long as their paycheck reflects a fair proportion (taking into account all of the staff involved in producing/marketing it) of the money/success they help bring in then that is what counts really.
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