Actor who had role as extra in Stranger Things shares how much he still makes from show years later
Stranger Things is one of the biggest and most popular series that the world has ever seen, so you know its stars are getting paid handsomely for their performances.
The likes of Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink and Gaten Matarazzo have all earned big bucks from their roles in the hit Netflix show.
But have you ever wondered how much the minor characters take home for all of their hard work?
Well, wonder no more, as one Stranger Things extra who starred in the fourth season has revealed how much he made - and continues to make - from his small gig.
Advert
You might remember Tristan Spohn from his brief appearance as one of the test subjects at the lab in Hawkins.
The actor, from Dallas, Texas, took on the role of Two in Stranger Things and memorably bullied Eleven, who was strongest of the test subjects besides him.
Unfortunately for Spohn, his character was killed off and he met quite the grisly end after Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) tore through the lab before crushing his neck.
All in all, he appeared in five episodes of the fourth season - but to this day, he is still receiving residual payments for his part in the show.
The 25-year-old previously revealed he was paid around $15,000 upfront for each episode, and now, he's crunched the numbers on on the continuing payments he is still receiving too.
In a video shared to YouTube on Saturday (28 December), Spohn dished the dirt on what goes on behind-the-scenes of a huge Netflix production like Stranger Things.
He explained that he had wrapped filming in March 2021 and had been earning 'about $5,000 a week' to star as Two, which he described as 'crazy'.
"This was the most amount of money I'd ever been paid for anything, and I [was] not expecting any extra payment because that's the industry standard for streaming shows," he said. "I assumed I wouldn't be any different."
He explained that by January 2023, his season of Stranger Things had been out for around six months and fans were 'loving' it, seeing it smash streaming records.
Spohn recalled how he then received some mail which informed him he was receiving a residual payment amounting to $200 for his appearance in one of the episodes.
Actors receive this cash on the back of reruns and airings after the series initial release - such as every time it's broadcast on telly or when someone buys the DVD.
However, Spohn admitted that he didn't actually even appear in that episode - but still, he was still 'pleasantly surprised' when he received the cheque.
The actor then received another envelope in the post for 'another episode he didn't appear in', which stated he had earned another $440, bringing his total to $640.
Explaining the reason why he still earned a wage despite not acting in the episodes, he said: "The reason I'm getting paid for episodes I didn't appear in is because I technically do appear in them. In very small, blink-and-you'll miss-it flashbacks...so I get a very small credit and residual pay for them."
In total, the actor claims he received further payments totalling up to $2,382 for the episodes he did actually star in.
"Bringing the total now to $3,022. So that number's looking a little bigger now," Spohn said.
But the residual payments didn't stop there, as he then revealed that he received 'five additional cheques' a year later in November 2023, worth a whopping $3,578, bringing his total up to $6,600.
So, we know he's managed to stack away at least a few thousand pound away thanks to the residual payments - but how much has he been earning exactly since the series dropped in 2022?
Spohn's said that the latest batch of residual cheques amounted to a whopping $5,466, bringing his grand total to $12,666.
"I've been making about $460 per month in passive income since the show released," Spohn grinned. "But the crazy thing is that, technically because of how these are calculated, I'm making a similar amount in residuals per episode as Milly Bobby Brown, David Harbour and the rest of the main cast.
"And even though the show broke streaming records, we're all earning similar amounts to the majority of other actors on different original Netflix shows, no matter how high the viewership is."
According to Spohn, he would have earned even more each month if the changes brought in following the SAG-AFTRA strike were in force back in 2022.
"If this deal was in place when I first filmed season 4, I likely would have gotten an extra bonus payment of anywhere between $10,000 to $100,000, on top of these residuals. That would have been extremely nice, but I'm just so grateful and happy that I was in the show."
Topics: Netflix, Stranger Things, Money, TV and Film, US News
Olivia Burke