Quick Links
Westworld came out in 2016 and won the hearts of all sci-fi lovers.
Every character on the show is iconic, and the viewer gets hours of content of mindful feminism, rhetoric against oppression, and a brilliantly written plot. No doubt, the cast soon got hold of the audience and became some of the top-earning figures with the success of the show.
The show Westworld was adapted from a 1973 science fiction movie directed by Michael Crichton. This movie, too, had the same plot of a futuristic amusement park where androids have been installed as entertainment props for people who visit the park as guests. It reflects the consequences of human actions when the droids began going awry and started killing humans.
The TV adaptation took up the same storyline but developed it to address more relevant issues regarding the corruption that occurs in the world of high tech, costing humans their lives. It is an excellent coupling of the two film genres - the Western and Sci-Fi dystopia. Created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy and produced by HBO, this critically acclaimed show has an 8.6/10 rating on IMDB and 91 percent of favorable votes on Google.
Westworld launched some of the most phenomenal actors who also became the top-earning cast. Here’s a list of them.
Tessa Thompson
Tessa Thompson was present in the first two seasons of Westworld and played the role of Charlotte Hale. Since the leading cast members received equal pay from the latest season, Thompson’s salary is estimated to be lower than $250,000. She received approximately $100,000 or possibly even lower than that.
Despite playing a prime role on the show, her salary has not been reevaluated. Tessa has been infamous for movies like Men In Black: International, Marvel movies like Thor: Ragnarok, and the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder. She has a net worth of approximately $4 million.
Evan Rachel Wood
When it comes to upholding feminist ideals and standing up for one’s rights, Evan Rachel Wood is a force to be reckoned with. Besides being an actor, singer, voice artist, and fashion model, Evan Rachel has also been known for fighting cases related to domestic violence.
In Westworld, too, she begins as Dolores, with actions that have been programmed into her fake brain. But the evolution that her character goes through gives goosebumps. At the age of 33, she has a net worth of $8 million. In the beginning, she used to earn about $100,000 to $150,000 until all the main cast of Westworld began receiving the equal pay of $250,000 in the third season.
Jeffrey Wright
In the initial part of the show, Jeffrey Wright is shown as Barnard, one of the core members of the Westworld’s Programming Division. He has a special relationship with main droids like Dolores. The shock comes later when he realizes he is a droid too. In short, Wright’s character on Westworld embodies human existential crisis, blurring boundaries between man and droid while raising questions on the concept of a ‘Human’ itself.
The salary of Jeffrey Wright is estimated to be around $150,000 in the first two seasons, but in the third season, he was making $250,000 for every episode. Wright has a net worth of about $8 million.
James Marsden
James Marsden was one of the pretty faces of Hollywood even before he got cast in the Westworld series. He has acted in popular movies like The Notebook, Superman Returns, and Enchanted. Besides being an actor, he is a singer, model, and voice artist, with a net worth of $10 million.
In Westworld, James plays the character of Teddy, which seems like a side character in the beginning until he becomes more significant as the plot thickens. Still, Thompson and Marsden have always been considered the second-tier characters on this show, and their salaries are estimated to be around $100,000.
Thandie Newton
Thandie Newton was born in Britain and has had a career as a model and Hollywood actress. In 2016, she got cast as Maeve in Westworld and made history. She is the recipient of prestigious awards because of her phenomenal performance as a droid who loses her memory of her previous life and starts questioning concepts like birth, death, and memory.
Thandie Newton is another female cast member who finally saw the beautiful days of equal pay with the third season of Westworld. Her salary went from $100,000 per episode in the first season to $250,000 per episode. Newton has an impressive net worth of about $14 million.
Ed Harris
Ed Harris appears as the man in black in the first season of the show. He has a mysterious vibe about him and treats the world of the Westworld amusement park as a puzzle to be solved. Through the show, he keeps the viewer guessing who he is, and the viewer finally finds out the truth at the end, which is pretty shocking. However, what is noteworthy here is the suspense and brutality that builds in every scene he enters.
Undoubtedly, Ed was one of the highest-paid cast members on Westworld until it was decided that every leading cast member would be reimbursed with the same amount. In Season 1, he used to make about $175,000 per episode, and in the latest season, his salary per episode was a grand $250,000. Presently, he has an impressive net worth of approximately $25 million.
Anthony Hopkins
The Silence of the Lambs actor made a steady comeback in his late 70s with the 2016 HBO show. Anthony Hopkins played the role of Robert Ford, one of the founders of the Westworld amusement park. Being the master of thriller and dark scenes, Hopkins seemed to be the perfect choice for this character.
One of the most attractive features of Westworld is its blend of seasoned actors with new faces. Other than Ed Harris, Hopkins is another seasoned Oscar-winning Hollywood star who received a raised salary of $175,000 in the previous seasons. By the third season, he was receiving $250,000 and currently has a jaw-dropping net worth of about $180 million.
Westworld attained critical acclaim right after being aired in 2016. It won the primetime Emmy Awards 9 times out of the 54 nominations. Also, in 2018, Thandie Newton bagged the Primetime Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.’ About 23 episodes of Westworld have aired to date, with a total of 3 seasons.
Sources: Showbiz Cheat Sheet, SC, TheWrap.com, The Hollywood Reporter