Jonah Hill Made $60K For ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ But Leonardo DiCaprio Got $25M—His Dream Was to Work With Scorsese: ‘I’d Sell My House…’
- Personal Finance
ThePostMaster- 0
- 6 minutes read
Jonah Hill didn’t take a pay cut. He made a bet.
Instead of chasing the biggest paycheck of his career, he took the minimum allowed by the actors’ union—just $60,000—to work with director Martin Scorsese. His co-star, Leonardo DiCaprio, reportedly earned $25 million. Hill says he would’ve done it for free.
“The Wolf of Wall Street” hit theaters in 2013 with DiCaprio playing stockbroker Jordan Belfort and Hill as Donnie Azoff, his off-the-rails business partner. The film captured Belfort’s real-life rise and collapse in a blur of over-the-top excess. But behind the scenes, Hill’s motivation was simple: work with Scorsese at any cost.
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“Fax Me the Papers Tonight”
Hill shared the story on “The Howard Stern Show” in 2014, confirming his $60,000 paycheck for a seven-month shoot. “They gave me the lowest amount of money possible,” he said. “That was their offer and I said, ‘I will sign the paper tonight. Fax me the papers tonight. I want to sign them tonight before they change their mind.'”
The number wasn’t the point. The opportunity was.
“I would sell my house and give [Scorsese] all my money to work for him,” Hill said. “I would have done anything in the world. I would do it again in a second. This sh*t isn’t about money. You should do things that you care about.”
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When the Paycheck Isn’t the Value
Hill wasn’t chasing short-term gains. He was thinking long game. It’s the same logic people use when they take a lower-paying role to work under a great mentor, or pass on flashy offers to build something that lasts.
“You do ‘22 Jump Street’ or you do other things, and you can pay your rent,” Hill told Stern. But “The Wolf of Wall Street” wasn’t about rent money. It was about craft. About access. About planting a flag where it actually mattered.
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A Lesson in Choosing Your Shot
Hill’s decision wasn’t about money, but it was very much about value. And that’s a distinction more people are learning to make—whether it’s turning down a high-paying job that burns you out or mapping out a plan that prioritizes stability over status.
Because sometimes, the return isn’t what you’re paid. It’s who you become.
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