957 Western District Remuneration
In the long alley at the back entrance of the Almeida Theater, the sound of enthusiastic discussions filled the air with large clouds of warmth, quietly dispelling the coldness and bitingness of the night. Discussions about drama, whether professional or amateur, could always be answered. Not even from Renly, but from the rest of the audience, and the buzz of discussion truly united everyone..
Perhaps this is also one of the charms of London's West End.
“Are you sure it doesn't matter? The temperature has dropped quite a bit today, otherwise, I will buy you a cup of coffee. This is at least what I can do." Renly could catch a few shivering figures in the crowd, and their thin clothes seemed not enough to cover them. The ubiquitous gusts of evil wind.
“"No need", "It's okay", "We're fine", the responses one after another, with a slight smile, filled the ears..
Renly couldn't help but smile, relaxed and joked, "Don't worry about my bank account. As far as I know, the Almeida Theater's attendance in the past two weeks has been good. A cup of coffee, at least. What I can do; but, adding one more donut at most is my limit. The number of people present at the back door today seems to be too many.”
Everyone suddenly burst into laughter.
The West End has never been a money-making place.
In Hollywood, the salary for even the most ordinary supporting role may start at 50,000 US dollars; the daily salary for extras is US$150, and if you need to be exposed to rain, hoods, or filming in harsh environments, it is US$200..
In London's West End, the average weekly salary of actors is five hundred pounds. The actors here, especially those in the first cast, are paid even lower if they are in the second or third cast who have not performed many performances..
The reason is not complicated. On the one hand, a play in London's West End has many actors. Except for the absolute core protagonist, the weekly salary of other actors is equal, rather than a hierarchy like Hollywood; on the other hand, it is a cliché that London The box office revenue and investment level of the Western District are far inferior to those of ten years ago, and the increase in remuneration is relatively limited..
If you want to make money, returning to London's West End or Broadway is the stupidest thing to do; and for most British actors standing on the West End stage, making money is not their first goal. Many top-notch actors occasionally make guest appearances in London's West End or Broadway. Either for a nominal fee of a few thousand dollars, or simply perform for free..
In the Almeida Theater version of "Les Misérables", everyone knows that Renly's commercial value is the leader. Renly alone can be worth the rest of the crew; however, among the crew , Renly’s remuneration is the same as Michelle Dockery, Charlotte Kennedy, Daisy Ridley and others, six hundred pounds.
Although the investor of this play is Andre Hamilton, an owner who is not short of money, in business, when investing in the production of a play, after all, one must be professional and objective, rather than having the mentality of taking advantage of others..
Therefore, "Les Misérables" is still produced in strict accordance with industry standards. Considering the six-hour length and the pioneering and innovative creation, the market value of the show is under tremendous pressure. In order to save costs, the remuneration of the cast and crew has also been reduced. Just stay a little bit above the industry average.
Six hundred pounds, this is a weekly salary. It is not calculated based on the number of performances, but based on the performance cycle. In other words, "Les Misérables" will be performed at the Almeida Theater for three months, a total of twelve weeks, Blue The reward for the gift was only seven thousand two hundred pounds..
By the way, this is pre-tax income. When the bank actually records it, it will not reach this figure..
Such a remuneration is even lower than Renly's salary for starring in "Crazy Love", and even lower than Renly's salary for starring in an episode of "Pacific War". Not to mention making money, in London, every inch of land is precious. In big cities, it is extremely difficult to make a living..
When he took over the filming of "Edge of Tomorrow", Renly's personal salary had already exceeded 10 million US dollars; after the Oscar, it was rumored that both Paramount and 20th Century Fox were interested in inviting Renly to star in the project, and the salary was as high as 10 million US dollars. Fifteen million.
However, Renly did not even initiate negotiations, and simply returned to the West End of London, joining the Almeida Theater version of "Les Misérables" with a weekly salary of 600 pounds.”.
In fact, forget about those horizontal comparisons, just compare the movie version of "Les Misérables". Hugh Jackman's personal salary is 8 million US dollars - this is not a commercial movie, but an art movie, and the salary is relatively modest..
This move effectively cleared away all "hype rumors".
Although, some media still questioned that the reason why Renly returned to London's West End was because he won the Oscar for "Crazy Love". He was not convincing enough, so Renly chose to stand on the stage and compete with his absolute strength. Win or lose; but after all, there is not much market for such a statement. Apart from "Crazy in Love", each of Renly's works is the best evidence. Therefore, similar statements did not cause any waves and were fleeting..
Compared with Renly's salary in Hollywood, the salary and remuneration in London's West End are really too shabby. People even joked that London's West End and Broadway are not entertainment industries at all, they are just ordinary office workers..
Why are London's West End and Broadway in decline? Are there fewer and fewer actors? Everyone knows this is a vicious cycle, but it is undeniable that the numbers on the bank account may be the reason - at least part of the reason.
On the other hand, this is also the reason why veteran British actors have always insisted on returning to the West End of London. They continue to perform in plays at low prices or even for free. In order to maintain the West End of London and to maintain artistic creation. Naturally, For those actors who refuse to return to London's West End, other actors have their own concerns..
Every audience member who loves London's West End knows clearly the dilemma faced by actors. Renly's words just now were self-deprecating in a bitter way; of course, for Renly, he is indeed not short of a drink. coffee money.
“In this case, let's end the conversation tonight. I need to go back and take a hot bath, have a good rest, and prepare for tomorrow - no, for today's performance." Renly said with a smile, "Thank you again for today. Thank you for your support, I hope you enjoyed tonight's performance.”
Rebecca raised her right hand high, and her clear and bright voice echoed in the night, "Master, please pay attention to your health, take care of yourself, and do your best for today's performance."！”
The smile on the corner of Renly's mouth finally fully bloomed, rising lightly, outlining a touch of warmth, "You all should go back quickly. There is no subway now. Please be safe on your way home! You need me to pay for the rental fee for you. The cost of the car?？”
“Master, be careful of bankruptcy." Rebecca shouted again, and everyone burst into laughter. Renly couldn't help laughing, waved to everyone, then turned and left..
Rebecca just watched Renly's leaving figure, bypassing the alley and walking towards the main street in London's West End. The tall figure gradually disappeared under the halo of creamy yellow street lights. Everything was so beautiful..
Withdrawing her gaze, Rebecca turned to look at the other friends around her, "The performance at the Almeida Theater is still two and a half months away. From now on, when we are waiting at the back door, please advise each other to stay sensible and stay calm. , Master, you have worked really hard. At least, we can maintain good order.……”
“Yes, yes, I think so too. To be honest, after a whole day of performances, the young master is still here chatting with us. God, he is really an angel.！”
“Let's discuss and organize it in the future. Don't let the young master worry about us..”
Rebecca just raised her head, and other voices couldn't wait to respond, and her emotions of happiness and satisfaction rose slightly. She liked Renly like this, she also liked such fans, and she liked London like this even more. West District.
Tonight's backdoor communication didn't last long. It only lasted less than ten minutes before Renly announced the end; but today's condition was indeed not very good. We can extend our stay tomorrow as compensation, since it will be a rest day after that. , you can really relax.
After leaving the back alley, the cold wind on the main street became more and more raging. Renly had to pull up the collar of his coat to resist the cold, then took out his mobile phone and dialed a familiar number, "Where are you now?？”
Matthew Dunlop turned on the car's lights, and the orange halo dispelled the surrounding darkness, like a beacon, guiding the direction, "Do you see me?？”
After tonight's performance, Matthew did not leave immediately. He knew that Paul and Meadow were present tonight, and Renly and they would definitely chat for a while; later he learned that after the performance, the underage boy Tom did not immediately After returning home, Matthew predicted that Nathan would definitely be sent out to be the driver, so he stayed and waited for a while..
Sure enough, Renly's call came..
“Yes, I saw it." Renly waved his hand, "Did you receive my text message? Or simply not go back? "After sending Paul and the others away, Renly sent a text message to Matthew, calling for help..
“I know Tom didn't catch the last train." Matthew's concise and clear answer was another way of answering..
Standing at the intersection, waiting obediently for the red light to turn green, Renly couldn't help but complain, "The weather forecast didn't say that a cold wave will hit today, why is the temperature dropping so much at night?" But the next second, Renly cut off his words. , "Hey, Mr. Caron, haven't you left yet?？”
Seeing Alfonso Cuarón appearing in front of him, Renly's eyes couldn't help but widen, "Matthew, I'll call you back soon." After hanging up the phone, Renly looked at Alfonso for no apparent reason. Suo, then showed a surprised look, "Jesus Christ, are you sure you're okay? You look like you're frozen. Where are your companions?"？”
“Uh..." Alfonso was really freezing. He didn't wear a heavy coat today. He obviously underestimated the weather attack in London, which made his words become even more awkward. "She...she went back to the hotel first. , I'll stay...you, um, talk.”
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