Actors’ Salaries

In early fall, a report was broadcast in a popular new program of the Iranian television about “chaotic situation of actor’s salaries.” The figure announced in that program about salaries paid to actors elicited different reactions. Some of those actors denied having been paid those salaries and other remained silent. A major question was posed about the source of that information. In Iran, the content of contracts signed between producers and actors are not usually made public and nobody is aware of the exact salaries of actors. It is possible to guess who earns more, but no accurate figure had been given up to that time. The more important point about the report was its critical tone about increasing salaries of film actors. It simply ignored the fact that the high number of television series and telefilms is a major reason for rising salaries of actors and cinema producers have frequently protested to the general policy of television networks. At the same time, the report had made no mention of the role of the state television in increasing actors’ salaries as if those who appear in television series and telefilms do it for free! Two years ago, a film star asked for a very unusually high salary which prompted the House of Cinema to react. That experience indicated that the Iranian film community is very sensitive to this issue and proved how hasty has been judgment of that television program.