They pay scale in Hollywood has always been a controversial topic. Unlike in other industries, there is no standard and actors are paid based on plenty of subjective factors that studios decide on without rhyme or reason. That is why it is usually up to the individual and their management to decide whether or not the pay for a role is acceptable or not, and while the industry has progressed a lot in the past few years, some, like Carrie Coon still do not believe they got paid what they deserved.
Most entertainers are paid based on their previous work and how big of a household name they are. There are many working actors and actresses that have been in everything we have ever watched, but no one would know their name, just that we have seen them in most movies and shows with a revolving cast. While they make enough money form their job, they will never be paid millions from big studios like Marvel, but they are still necessary for the industry as a whole to work.
There are some that manage to break away from the pack. Whether they are more talented or they were offered bigger roles or were just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time is irrelevant, the fact tis that these entertainers do manage to make a fair amount of money and get international recognition, and that is a very good metric for who gets to be paid more. An easy way to improve your pay scale (if you can get the job) is to appear in a big movie franchise as one of the titular characters, but to get there you already need to be somewhat well-known.
Carrie Coon and Marvel, the relationship that soured
This is the case of Carrie Coon, actress that is well-known by her face, but not necessarily by name. She is a lot more successful than most working actors, but until she was cast as Proxima Midnight in Avengers: Infinity War she was mostly known by her roles on television.
Being in a Marvel movie is an honor nowadays. The Avengers franchise is one of the most profitable ones that the studio has made in the past 50 years, and many would just count their blessings to be part of the cast. But, in all fairness, the big names they have cast are likely handsomely paid for all the hassles that come with appearing in such a big production. Carrie apparently did not feel the juice was worth the squeeze.
She was not the one that made this announcement, when the time came to be recast for the following movie, she attempted to negotiate a better compensation package and Marvel refused, allegedly stating that “Well, you should feel lucky to be part of the Marvel Universe” and that “No. We’re not going to pay you more money.” The story was told by her husband, American actor, playwright, and screenwriter Travis Letts on the podcast ‘The Big Picture’.
Her absence did not go unnoticed. Although Marvel did not choose to kill her character, the appearance was minimal, with no dialogue and as a purely background character played by a stand-in. Carrie even joked about that in 2020 on Couch Surfing citing scheduling problems and joking: “Nobody dies. It’s very possible that I could have my next ‘Avengers’ movie. But I would wait sitting down.”
Whether or not she regrets passing up the opportunity, we shall never know, but big studios have been accused plenty of times of withholding adequate compensation and underpaying their talent citing exposure as the reason. Hopefully times will continue to change and they will get compensation for their work.