The last-minute decision that cost Jeff Bridges a fortune: “I remember being so frustrated”
Any actor who’s been in the business for a decent amount of time knows that things have a tendency to change on the fly, but Jeff Bridges was left devastated when a last-minute decision affected the one thing every performer never wants to see dwindle: their bank account.
While he’s been working solidly for over half a century and is one of Hollywood’s most decorated and respected stars, Bridges has rarely cracked the highest-paid bracket. Obviously, he’s made a lot of money and regularly takes home multi-million dollar paydays, but he missed out on the chance to land a recurring role in history’s most lucrative cinematic saga.
For the most part, Bridges isn’t a franchise type of guy. Had RIPD not been declared dead upon arrival and been deservedly torn to shreds for being shit, the high-concept premise of ‘Ghostbusters meets Men in Black‘ was ripe for sequels, although even he’d agree he dodged a bullet there.
He’ll play the role of Kevin Flynn again in Tron: Ares, but three films in a 43-year span isn’t enough to pay the mortgage. Beyond that, he lent support in Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and that’s about the extent of his franchise fare. And yet, much to his chagrin, he was robbed of returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe by a late-stage rewrite that permanently killed off his character.
For better or worse, Jon Favreau’s blockbuster is one of the 21st century’s most important motion pictures. Not only did it launch the Marvel behemoth, but it sent the comic book craze into overdrive, and convinced every studio executive that shared universes populated with crossovers and cameos was the safest and easiest way to build a brand.
Have a gander at any list of the industry’s top-earning names since 2008, and it’ll feature at least one actor synonymous with Marvel. Even in the never-ending saga’s first instalment, the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany, Clark Gregg, Samuel L Jackson, Terrence Howard’s replacement Don Cheadle, and Favreau himself would rack up multiple Marvel appearances.
It wasn’t an easy film to make, with Bridges previously comparing it to a student film. “I remember being so frustrated, as an actor,” he recalled. “I like to be prepared. I like to know my lines.” He signed on with the script confirming his Obadiah Stane survived the climactic third-act showdown between hero and villain, only to discover that plans had changed.
“When I read the script, Obadiah Stane falls in that big vat in the end,” he explained on Happy Sad Confused. “And in the script I read and agreed to do, they pull my suit out and open it, and I’m not there.” He’s pretty much the only major cast member from Iron Man who became a one-and-done contributor to the Marvel universe, which cost him an awful lot of money in the long run.
Technically, not many people can be declared definitively dead in comic books or their live-action adaptations, but it’s been almost 20 years. Alden Ehrenreich played his fictional son in the TV series, Ironheart, which seemed to confirm his old man was still, and permanently, pan breid. It’s a first-world problem for a famous and successful actor, but that one small script change cost him millions.
