The surprise horror smash hit Obsession has taken the world by storm, and as it’s making a ton of money, its breakout star might not be seeing a dime for her trouble, at least for now.
Actress Inde Navarrette, who’s now getting awards buzz for her performance, was apparently paid just $20,000 for her role as the lead, with the film now heading towards $300 million globally despite a $750,000 budget. Navarrette hasn’t confirmed the amount.
The issue was thrust into the spotlight after the movie’s art director posted on social media that she was paid only slightly over $6,000 for her work, which drew attention to Navarrette and her supposed earnings.
The question of how the lead role can seemingly be so poorly paid when the film is so successful was broken down by actor Supriya Ganesh, best known for The Pitt, on social media, where she explained exactly how a $20,000 paycheck might quickly turn into a loss.
“I also feel like people don’t understand the business expenses for this level of success,” Ganesh tweeted. “You pay for PR which is usually $5,000 a month for three months, each event you go to it costs about $3,000 to $5,000 to pay for HMU and styling. If she’s done three to five events that’s already a loss. There’s also agent fees, manager fees, lawyer fees, unless she’s on a contract that covers PR expenses, which she might be.”
She then compared the scenario to the “Oprah effect,” wherein extreme success can lead to financial distress. Ganesh also stated that she has worked on a similar contract and that studios typically do not cover PR expenses for this level of success, even if they do for makeup and styling.
“I’ve also worked on the contract that this film was filmed on and it’s not standard for PR to be covered unless the company that bought the film agrees to, but even so it’s usually not the PR fees itself but reimbursements for HMU and styling, which usually don’t cover all of it,” she explained.
While she sympathizes with Navarrette, Ganesh acknowledged that the movie’s success was completely unforeseen.
“Ultimately it is true this movie had to be on a low budget, otherwise it wouldn’t have been made, and the financial success is unexpected,” she wrote. “I’m just pointing out that this is actually a uniquely stressful situation for someone in her position. Like the success actually requires you to adapt quickly.”
When a fan asked how an actor should handle the costs, Ganesh was candid.
“Hope you have savings, favors, hope people will work with you on reduced fees temporarily, and really financially cut back in other areas of your life,” she responded. “And pray for a new gig, which she will definitely get. You can’t put it on a credit card because you pay for all this in cash proper. But in a strange way because the success was unexpected, it’s unlikely anyone on the whole movie planned for anything like this.”
Despite the current financial outlook, Navarrette’s career is soaring, with her Instagram account at over 1.5 million followers, her late-night debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and numerous upcoming projects in Hollywood.
