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Watching Hilary Swank smile her way onto the stage
to accept an Oscar for "Million Dollar Baby," you could see the price tag for her
next movie growing.
And when you read that your favorite
ignored writer has won a Nobel Prize, you assume he'll never work a day job again.
Not so fast. When it comes to fame, there's often a
huge gulf separating it from fortune.
Not every Oscar translates into wealth, not every
Tony improves a Broadway star's finances and even the Nobel Prize
doesn't necessarily make a dent in the bank account, according to
insiders in the glamour industries.
But when it comes at the right
time, in the right conditions, a prize can be a financial windfall. Oscars
and dollars
One proven way to pump up your bank account is to win an
Oscar, although there is no cash award associated with it. How fat your bank account
gets, though, depends on when you win, how you win and what you win for.
"Everybody gets more money, the question is how
much," says film critic Emmanuel Levy, author of "All
About Oscar: The History and Politics of the Academy Awards."
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Hilary Swank
Photo by AJ Soklaner/NYPP/ZUMA Press
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"A lot depends on who they were before they got
the Oscar."
The age of the actor, the phase of their career and
the number of nominations all have a financial impact, he says.
"It's better to win early. And if you're young and it's your
first nomination, that's even better."
One classic case of instant Oscar wealth is Dustin
Hoffman. "He got just $17,000 for 'The Graduate' (in 1967)," Levy
says. "After 'The Graduate,' it was $400,000."
Paltry
payments for pre-Oscar stars are still around.
Swank has said that she earned just $3,000, about
$75 a day, for "Boys Don't Cry," which led to a best-actress
Oscar. Swank once commented that she wasn't eligible for insurance
because she earned less than $5,000 that year.
Banking
on star power
A prize means more than just cash. "There
are three effects to an Oscar," says Levy. "They invariably get more
money, but they also get more power. In Hollywood, power is more important than
money.
"They get elevated to the A-list. They get to
read first and work with the best directors. Halle Berry could not
have commanded leading roles and could not have been placed above
the title" without an Oscar, Levy says.
As for the actual dollar change, "It could go
way over 100 percent for the next film," he says. "It
could go to 400 percent or 500 percent." He says it depends
on factors such as money, power and name recognition.
It can sometimes transform
a supporting actress into a leading lady.
"Take Susan Sarandon. She was nominated for 'Atlantic
City,' and it changed her career. In the 70s, she made mostly independent
films, like 'Rocky Horror.' She's been a leading actress ever since
the Oscar."
And that's the
next factor -- the kind of Oscar you win. "It's much more
important to win lead Oscar than supporting Oscar, both for men and women." | 
