How much did Quentin Tarantino pay Brad Pitt, Uma Thurman and Samuel L Jackson to star in his movies?

When Quentin Tarantino has a first choice star for a movie role, he gets them!

Tarantino has worked with some of the best actors of all time, from Leonardo DiCaprio to Samuel L. Jackson, Brad Pitt, Kurt Russell, Margot Robbie, and so many more. However, right up there with the best of the best is Robert De Niro and he says ‘ I really do think Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is my best movie.

Quentin Tarantino has impacted the art of film in ways almost no other director ever has. Sure, his movies can be a bit controversial. They certainly aren’t for the faint of heart, with blood and other mature tropes sprinkled throughout his long runtimes. Regardless of how some of his biggest critics feel about him, he continues to win awards and top the box office charts. He still does this despite making movies in an era where only superhero films and reboots seemingly make any money.

It’s not just because Quentin is an iconic director, either. His films constantly star some of the biggest A-list stars on the planet. Sure, some actors such as Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Lawrence have turned Quentin down in the past. However, a lot of A-listers are attracted to Quentin’s films. Part of this has been because Quentin’s been known for paying his actors well. Here’s who he and his film studios have paid the most money…

8 This Is How Much Money John Travolta Made For Pulp Fiction

While Reservoir Dogs was Quentin’s breakout film as a director, the budget for it wasn’t that high. When it exploded onto the scene, it paved the way for a much more expensive film in the form of Pulp Fiction. Not much has been said about the film that hasn’t been said already. While actors like Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman were still somewhat unproven, stars like John Travolta and Bruce Willis accepted the opportunity to act in the iconic movie.

By the time 1994 rolled around, John was a fading star who many believed to be well past his prime. He was paid pretty handsomely for his important role, however. Per CheatSheet, John made $150,000 for his part. That was pretty good money for the time. Perhaps John’s biggest reward wasn’t financially, however, as he got to play an important part in what some believe to be the best film ever made.

7 This Is How Much Money Uma Thurman Made For Kill Bill

For a long time after Pulp Fiction, a lot of people assumed Quentin Tarantino had reached his peak as a filmmaker. Sure, Jackie Brown was pretty good, but it wasn’t seen as the same level as his earlier works.

However, things changed in 2003 and 2004 when Kill Bill Parts 1 & 2 were released in theaters. The movies were hyped up due to the samurai revenge premise and the reuniting of Uma Thurman with Quentin Tarantino. Her role in Pulp Fiction was memorable, and she was given the lead role in these films.

Uma was paid very well for Kill Bill. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Uma made a total of $12 million total for those films. The investment in Uma was worth it, as the movies made nearly $200 million each at the box office. Uma took those roles seriously, training 8 hours a day to get in shape for the film,

6 This Is How Much Brad Pitt Made For This 2008 Award-Winning Tarantino Movie

Brad Pitt started out as an actor that bombed auditions for films and shows such as Cheers. Once he got his foot into the Hollywood door, however, he never left. For nearly 3 decades now the actor has had a stranglehold on the world of acting. When he takes a role seriously, his acting isn’t comparable to many other actors throughout history.

Perhaps the best example of this was his outstanding performance as an outlandish WW2 sergeant in Tarantino’s 2008 film Inglorious B*stards. Despite appearing alongside people like Christoph Waltz and Michael Fassbender, Brad really stole the show with his memorable acting.

Even though his screen time was pretty limited in the movie, Brad was paid exceptionally. According to Parade, Brad received a check for $10 million from The Weinstein Company.

5 This Is How Much Jamie Foxx Made For Django UnchainedV

Following a long string of classics by Tarantino, many were curious about 2012’s Django Unchained. The movie had such a crazy premise, and Tarantino was due for a blunder. Instead, the world received one of Tarantino’s best works.

A lot of this had to do with the stellar cast. A film that includes Leonardo Dicaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, and Christoph Waltz was destined for greatness, but Jamie Foxx was integral as the film’s protagonist. According to Entertainism, Jamie was paid roughly $10 million to play Django.

4 This Is How Much Samuel L Jackson Made For The Hateful Eight

Quentin Tarantino likes to jump around time, never really sticking to one era for too long in his filmography. However, he stuck to the wild west after Django Unchained with 2015’s The Hateful Eight. He did switch up genres, though. While Django Unchained was an outright spaghetti western, The Hateful Eight was a mystery thriller. There was still action, but not nearly in the same vain as Django.

Related: The Amazing Story About How The FBI Helped Samuel L. Jackson Become A Superstar

There wasn’t a protagonist in The Hateful Eight, as the film followed a more experimental approach to its filmmaking. The legendary Samuel L. Jackson was the closest thing to a main character that the movie had, and he was paid as such. According to Celebrity Net Worth Samuel made $10 million from the film, a similar check to Jamie Foxx from Tarantino’s previous film.

3 This Is How Much Brad Pitt Made For Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood

Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood continued Tarantino’s protagonist experimenting. Whereas The Hateful Eight didn’t really have a protagonist, Once Upon A Time had 2. One was Brad Pitt’s character Clint Booth. Per Cosmopolitan, Brad made $10 million just like Samuel L. and Jamie Foxx.

Since Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood, Brad hasn’t appeared in too many films. He did star in 2022’s Bullet Train. His personal life has been pretty busy, particularly with his divorce from Angelina Jolie. Fans have wanted Brad to date Kim Kardashian, but he’s currently in a relationship with Ines de Ramon.

2 This Is How Much Leonardo DiCaprio Made For Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood

The other main character from that movie was Leonardo Dicaprio’s Rick Dalton. Leonardo was paid identically to Brad, making $10 million as the twin protagonist.

Leonardo has been pretty famous lately for his dating habits. After his split from Camila Morrone, Leo started seeing Gigi Hadid, but that seemingly didn’t work out. Leonardo and Gigi seem to be actively avoiding each other, although it’s still not certain whether their fling was real or not.

1 How Much Money Has Quentin Tarantino Made From Being A Legendary Movie Director?

According to USA Today, Quentin has a net worth of $120 million. That’s an insane amount of money, even for someone as prolific as Tarantino.

Quentin has stated many times that he’s likely done directing after his 10th film. However, those statements might just be centered around film, as there are a lot of rumors that Quentin might be working on television shows in the future.