This Actor Reportedly Got Paid $18.7M for 31 Minutes, and Users Think He ‘Deserves Every Penny’ — Here’s Why

After learning that a “Harry Potter” actor received a sizable payment for a cameo, fans are split. Since then, the celebrity has disclosed how they spent the cash.

Some moviegoers were incensed after learning that a movie actor had reportedly got $18.7 million for just 31 minutes of on-screen time. Some commenters counter that he “deserves every penny.”

His most well-known role was that of Draco Malfoy, a character he only made brief appearances in all eight of the “Harry Potter” films. Even though he was regarded as one of the main characters, he only spent slightly more than 30 minutes on screen in total, which is less than most Netflix episodes. He was nevertheless essential to the “Harry Potter” plot.

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint all had much longer screen times than him over the series—539 minutes, 205 minutes, and 211 minutes, respectively. It was surprisingly even shorter than Hagrid’s, who finished in a respectable forty-five minutes and forty-five seconds.

The actor’s little screen time in all eight “Harry Potter” films astonished “Harry Potter” fans. Many thought his character had a bigger part, and some were surprised that it was only 31 minutes long. Others drew attention to the compromises he made for such a brief on-screen appearance, like regularly bleaching his hair and staying out of the sun.

Thus, although appearing in less than three percent of the entire series, the English actor received a substantial salary. The star started filming “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” when she was barely 13 years old.

That the then-teenager wasn’t exactly the most smart with his newfound windfall isn’t all that remarkable, considering that most youngsters his age are familiar with only the money in their piggy banks.

The actor disclosed in an interview that following the completion of the movies, he experienced a period of financial irresponsibility. “I bought a lot of rubbish things that kids buy: skateboards and clothes and typical teenage stuff,” he said.

“And, as soon as I could, I wasted a lot of money on cars – mostly BMWs – for myself and my family,” he continued. “You have worked hard for it, so get what you want, but beware—you will lose money on cars,” my mother said to me. She was correct, too.”

The actor had a run-in with the tax man at one time. When the Hollywood star got into difficulty with the tax authorities, it was a sobering wake-up call.

He found it difficult to handle the obligations that came with his unexpected income, such as taxes, VAT, and mortgages—things that a normal 16-year-old wouldn’t understand—despite his parents’ best efforts to mentor him. This resulted in a difficult two years during which he experienced severe financial difficulties and had little other than debt to show for his years of labor.

A bailiff once knocked on his house, prepared to take his car, which the star had foolishly thought was secure because it was paid for in full. Fortunately, he was able to organize his accounts with the assistance of an accountant.

With a whopping $7.7 billion in revenue, the “Harry Potter” film series, which debuted between 2001 and 2011, is now the fourth highest-grossing film series of all time.

Tom Felton is the actor who made a substantial salary for very little on-screen time. His breakthrough role was in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (2001), where he played Daniel Radcliffe’s adversary as a schoolboy, Draco Malfoy.

Felton acknowledged that there was a personal cost to his tenure with the team. When asked about the incident in a 2010 interview, he said, “You will never get those years back and you can’t put a price on them.” He rejected the idea that fortune and celebrity might make up for his lost childhood.

In addition, he shared a pessimistic opinion of celebrity, saying that although red carpet events and enthusiastic audiences can be exciting, they don’t represent reality and that he didn’t want to be treated differently because of his reputation.

Felton also admitted that a lot of people anticipated the “Harry Potter” cast to cry when the show came to an end. Felton expressed a mixture of exhilaration and melancholy during his final minutes on set, while some of his co-stars, such as Radcliffe and Grint, shed a few tears.

He felt constrained from pursuing other endeavors and basic personal liberties, like retaining his natural hair color or spending time in the sun, throughout the filming of the television series.

He was relieved to be able to finally enjoy a vacation without having to take the customary safety measures, such as wearing a lot of sunscreen and staying out of the sun.

Despite his insistence that he had no regrets about appearing in the films, Felton acknowledged that the experience had made him mature rapidly. Social media users have voiced their opinions about his large salary, with some expressing disgust.

“The salaries these guys receive are absurd. For what they perform, first responders get paid extremely little! Veterans also hardly receive assistance,” a Facebook user said.

Someone else asked, “What do I got to do to earn £14 million for 31 minutes of work?” Someone said, “Just thirty-one minutes? That will be communicated to his father.”

Another person said, “31 minutes of film is not thirty-one minutes of work, as we all know. It could have taken months to finish those 31 minutes. The remaining thirty-one minutes of the video are from the floor edits.”

Another internet user repeated the statement, “31 minutes in movies are months on the set.” “It was weeks of work, plus he’d had several previous credits that would contribute to a higher rate,” noted a further.

On the other hand, other individuals think Felton earned his salary. “[He’s] a really nice person fame did not go to his head at all, he deserves every penny,” a single individual stated.

“[…] He is well remembered, shows what a good performance it was,” one more person said. Worth every cent,” wrote one, echoing the thoughts of another who also wrote, “And he was worth EVERY cent.”

Tom Felton had to make both great personal sacrifices and extraordinary possibilities during the “Harry Potter” series. He is nevertheless appreciative of the event that molded his early years in spite of the difficulties.