Celebrity / News
This Marvel Star Is Still Getting Paid For A Role He Never Played
The actor continues to receive royalty checks for a role he never acted in, showcasing the unusual nature of Hollywood contracts and auditions.
Sam Rockwell (Iron Man) hasn’t had to audition for his roles in quite a while. However, one audition has yielded unexpected financial rewards. He is still being paid for one role that he never actually played.
The Oscar winner shared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he auditioned for the film Lean on Me, which starred Morgan Freeman in the lead role. He rode in a van with Michael Imperioli (Goodfellas) and Kevin Corrigan (Superbad) to the audition for just one line.
The role was intended for Rockwell, but he revealed on the podcast that it never progressed: "They never got to my scene when they filmed," he said. "So they had to let me go because they didn’t want to pay me for a whole week." Eventually, the role went to an acquaintance of his, but he disclosed that he still receives royalty checks.
Imperioli later took the role, but his scene also didn’t make the final cut of the movie. Interestingly, this wasn’t the first time that Rockwell and Imperioli competed for the same role. He recounted how he was later called for a part in Celebrity in 1998, which starred Judy Davis and Leonardo DiCaprio.
For the film, Woody Allen wanted Rockwell to dye his hair blonde, which he refused to do since he only had a few lines. The production team informed him that Imperioli had to cancel his audition because he could no longer attend. Ultimately, Rockwell relented and dyed his hair blonde after all.
In retrospect, Imperioli made the right choice by going to the pilot shoot for The Sopranos. The series ended up running for eight seasons and won multiple Emmy awards.
The Oscar winner shared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he auditioned for the film Lean on Me, which starred Morgan Freeman in the lead role. He rode in a van with Michael Imperioli (Goodfellas) and Kevin Corrigan (Superbad) to the audition for just one line.
Profitable Audition
The role was intended for Rockwell, but he revealed on the podcast that it never progressed: "They never got to my scene when they filmed," he said. "So they had to let me go because they didn’t want to pay me for a whole week." Eventually, the role went to an acquaintance of his, but he disclosed that he still receives royalty checks.
Imperioli later took the role, but his scene also didn’t make the final cut of the movie. Interestingly, this wasn’t the first time that Rockwell and Imperioli competed for the same role. He recounted how he was later called for a part in Celebrity in 1998, which starred Judy Davis and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Woody's Demand
For the film, Woody Allen wanted Rockwell to dye his hair blonde, which he refused to do since he only had a few lines. The production team informed him that Imperioli had to cancel his audition because he could no longer attend. Ultimately, Rockwell relented and dyed his hair blonde after all.
In retrospect, Imperioli made the right choice by going to the pilot shoot for The Sopranos. The series ended up running for eight seasons and won multiple Emmy awards.
