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Big Little Lies
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Woodley Mode: Shailene Woodley's Career Is Stuck In Limbo As She Tries To Transition Out Of The YA Genre
For months now, we’ve heard rumors and read thinkpieces about how Apple and its $1 billion original series budget may change the television’s ecosystem. Now we finally have proof of that very thing happening, and the first victim of Apple’s terrifyingly large wallet is none other than HBO’s Big Little Lies.
In a piece published by The Hollywood Reporter, it’s been revealed that Season 2 of the Golden Globe and Emmy-winning miniseries is going to be more expensive than anyone was anticipating. According to the report, Zoe Kravitz, who made $380,000 for her work on Season 1, will be getting a massive pay increase for Season 2; she’s now said to be raking in $3 million for reprising her role. Shailene Woodley is also said to be getting a substantial pay raise from her $1.7 million Season 1 paycheck.
The most interesting paycheck news, though, is what Big Little Lies‘ biggest stars — Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman — are being paid. Sources claim that the two actresses received $250,000 and $350,000 per Season 1 episode, respectively, as well as executive producer credits and points on the show’s backend. Those credits and points are staying for Season 2, but it’s rumored that these two actresses will also “get around $1 million an episode” for the show’s second season. A big (not big little) congratulations goes to Kravitz, Woodley, Witherspoon, and Kidman. Suspiciously missing from this dollar-filled announcement is Laura Dern, but hopefully her shocking paycheck story is coming.
So why is this new season so expensive? Part of the problem has to do with Big Little Lies‘ status as a miniseries. Because all of the actors only committed to seven episodes of this project, all of their contracts had to be re-negotiated when HBO decided to pursue a Season 2. Add in that fact that Reese Witherspoon’s massive Apple paycheck from her new show with Jennifer Aniston drove up the salaries for all of these actresses, and HBO walked into the perfect, hyper-expensive storm. The untitled Apple series is reportedly paying each of its two leads $1.25 million per episode, which drove up the price that HBO had to pay to secure their services for Season 2.
“It’s not a shock to anybody that having a second season of an ongoing series is easier to have with those deals in place,” HBO programming president Casey Bloys said in the THR article. “Every outlet has to make their own decisions about economics that make sense for them. I’m not going to shake my fist and say, ‘Darn it, Apple!’ If that’s what made sense for them for that show, God bless.”
Netflix and Amazon have already proven that they’re willing and able to throw a lot of money at big projects in an attempt to dominate the market. Apple’s step into the world of prestige TV further cements the fact that networks and streaming services will have to pay a lot more for big stars to grace the small screen.
