• davidgro@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      13
      ·
      edit-2
      4 days ago

      Also just the fact that Machete - sorry, Uncle Machete - is a character in these kids movies.

  • SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    55
    ·
    4 days ago

    They all worked with him before. So they knew it was Rodriguez’ passion project and did him a favor. Probably also a great director to work with.

  • istdaslol@feddit.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    92
    ·
    4 days ago

    IIRC some even worked for free/way below their regular pay. It was just a fun project to be part of

    • pixelscript@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      73
      ·
      4 days ago

      The scenes of Clooney as the President in Spy Kids 3 were allegedly shot by Clooney in a day in his own living room with a camcorder he just had lying around.

    • pearsaltchocolatebar
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      53
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      4 days ago

      There’s no free in Hollywood because of the screen actors guild, but they can opt to work for the minimum.

  • mommykink@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    75
    ·
    edit-2
    4 days ago

    See also: the postmodern piece of kino known as Hoodwinked!, which somehow managed to grab Anne Hathaway, Glenn Close, Jim Belushi, Patrick Warburton, Xzibit on a microbudget without the help of any major studio.

    • pixelscript@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      19
      ·
      4 days ago

      Patrick Warburton is the only one on that list who was actually on board with the film in its small budget phase. The rest came aboard after the Weinstein Company stepped in to be the distributor.

      Picking up movies that were already finished for cheap and then using industry connections and capital to forcefully inject more star power into the voice cast is apparently something the Weinsteins did several times. They did the same thing to The Magic Roundabout (marketed in America as Doogal).

      Funnily enough, getting the Weinsteins involved with Hoodwinked! in the first place was a chance encounter made possible by Robert Rodriguez’s wife.

  • Track_Shovel@slrpnk.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    56
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    edit-2
    4 days ago

    I’m almost certain everyone in the whole series, including Rodriguez are all high on acid. The thing is a giant fever dream

      • hakobo@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        14
        ·
        4 days ago

        Well, he did The Nightmare Before Christmas as well as most of Tim Burton’s other films. Along with tons of other things.

  • Mandy@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    37
    ·
    4 days ago

    I can’t imagine many more projects tondonjust for fun.
    Thats a lot of Elijah woods horror roles, things that looked fun.
    So I’m sure that’s why they did it

    • Dasus@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      42
      ·
      4 days ago

      Yeah and even when actors get paid “low sums” it’s usually like six figures still, at least regarding projects like Spy Kids.

      And even if it was “just” five figures, if its above 50k and last less than a year to film, it’s more than most people make and the actors who do these aren’t exactly broke to begin with.

      Orlando Bloom “only” got 175k for the lotr trilogy.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0nHeZgepNw

      If someone paid me 175k to fuck about as an elf in New Zealand for 438 days, I’d be willing to suck their dick on the spot. And I don’t generally like sucking dick too much.

      • boonhet@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        24
        ·
        4 days ago

        Orlando Bloom “only” got 175k for the lotr trilogy.

        I’d say I feel bad for him considering how much money the LOTR trilogy pulled and how great he was in it (like everyone tbh), but at least he got a lot of recognition for it, being pretty much unknown to the world before LOTR and getting a lead role in Pirates right after.

        • SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          15
          ·
          edit-2
          4 days ago

          He basically worked for exposure and in this case it worked. Yes 175k is a lot of money but for a big budget trilogy it’s definitely on the lower end. People also underestimate how long those shooting days are. It’s not uncommon for principal photography to have 16 hour shooting days. Shooting those movies back to back must have been tough for everyone on set.

          • boonhet@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            11
            ·
            4 days ago

            He basically worked for exposure and in this case it worked

            It’s also one of the few cases where it truly works and even then it wasn’t guaranteed to work, because the movies could’ve easily flopped if they weren’t well made.

            But he took a gamble and it paid off. I’m happy for him. Still, sucks that production companies can lure actors into salaries this low - apparently even leads on some newer streaming series are having trouble making ends meet if they have to rent an apartment in LA, etc. In that regard, Bloom had it easy compared to some of the young actors these days (not to discredit the incredible achievement of surviving shooting 3 literal epics back to back).

        • Dasus@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          16
          ·
          4 days ago

          Yeah, people like Ian McKellen got like 13 million, so that’s a difference in a known vs relatively unknown actor, I guess.

          Also, Cate Blanchett says she “got paid in sandwiches” and just wanted to work for Peter Jackson because of his previous movies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ielt7A-Ebn4

  • skittle07crusher@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    arrow-down
    10
    ·
    edit-2
    4 days ago

    Sylvester Stallone? That’s like an instant -999 for me, idk about anyone else…

    Edit: whoops I was thinking of Steven Seagal, Sylvester Stallone is great