Child star salaries, paychecks

By Wonderwall.com Editors 8:57am PDT, Jun 28, 2019

Gone are the days of child stars making significantly less than adults! In today's world, child actors can make just as much — if not more — than their older co-stars. In celebration of the Season 3 premiere of "Stranger Things" on July 4, 2019, Wonderwall.com is taking a look at the salaries of Hollywood's youngest actors… starting with the "Stranger Things" kids… Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard and Millie Bobby Brown all reportedly earned $30,000 per episode for Season 1 and 2 of the hit Netflix show. They received major pay raises for Season 3, however. Finn, Gaten, Caleb and Noah now earn $250,000 an episode while Millie, the show's breakout star, is bringing home a whopping $350,000 per episode, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Cha-ching! Keep reading for more…

Rico Rodriguez is bringing home the big bucks on ABC's "Modern Family." The Texas native, who plays Manny Delgado, was originally earning $10K per episode when the sitcom premiered in 2010 but now makes $100,000 per episode, according to the New York Post.

Cole Sprouse and Dylan Sprouse are successful adult actors today, but back in their Disney days, they were child stars who made bank. The twins each earned a reported $20,000 per episode while starring on the Disney Channel's "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody."

Abigail Breslin was only 10 years old when she was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in 2006's "Little Miss Sunshine." Her stardom — and salary — only went up from there. The actress banked a reported $65,000 for four hours of voice work for her part in 2012's "Zambezia."

Miley Cyrus became the A-list star she is today thanks to her work on the Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana," where she reportedly earned $15,000 per episode, according to the New York Post.

Macaulay Culkin was earning major cash during his heyday in the '90s. The New York native netted a cool $1 million for his role in 1991's "My Girl," $4.5 million for reprising his role as Kevin in 1992's "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York," and another $1.5 million for his performance in the 1993 thriller "The Good Son," according to Celebrity Net Worth. Macaulay's money continued to grow in 1994 when he earned $8 million per film for "Getting Even with Dad" and "Richie Rich." All in all, he earned a whooping $23.5 million between 1989 and 1994!

Frankie Muniz was earning a very respectable $30K per episode when "Malcolm in the Middle" premiered in 2000. By the show's end in 2006, however, he was bringing in a reported $120,000 per episode, according to Business Insider.

Gary Coleman was one of the first super-bankable child TV stars in Hollywood. The Illinois native was only making $1,500 per episode when NBC's "Diff'rent Strokes" premiered in 1978, but he eventually worked his way up to an impressive $70,000 per episode in the 1980s.

Miranda Cosgrove was earning some serious, serious cash on Nickelodeon's "iCarly." The "School of Rock" star made an estimated $180,000 per episode on the series, which ran from 2007 to 2012, according to MTV.

Jaden Smith followed in his parents' very wealthy footsteps with his role in "The Karate Kid." The then-12-year-old reportedly earned $1 million for the 2010 remake and an additional $2 million after the film grossed over $150 million worldwide.

Chandler Riggs earned the big bucks while chasing down zombies on AMC's "The Walking Dead." The Atlanta native reportedly earned $30K per episode, bringing his net worth to a cool $2 million.

Daniel Radcliffe only earned $1 million for his performance as the titular wizard in 2001's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" but by the series' end, he was cashing even bigger paychecks. The British actor reportedly earned $33 million for the franchise's final film, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2," making him one of the richest actors in the U.K.

Angus T. Jones was the highest paid child star ever (until Millie Brown Bobby popped up on the scene). By 2010, the teen star was making $300,000 per episode for his role as Jake Harper on the CBS sitcom "Two and a Half Men."

Sophie Turner, Isaac Hempstead-Wright and Maisie Williams were just young kids when they landed starring roles on HBO's "Game of Thrones." By the series' end, they were each earning $175,000 per episode!

Ariana Grande had a pretty sweet deal for her role on Nickelodeon's "Victorious" in the early 2010s. The future pop star earned $9,000 per episode plus $4,000 for a theme song, $3,000 for a song played in various episodes and $1,500 for a 20-second "ditty," according to TMZ.