Sebastian Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes, or the Winter Solider, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe told Vanity Fair a $65,000 in residuals from the “Hot Tub Time Machine” saved his career in the late 2000s.
Stan played Bucky Barnes in “Captain America: The First Avenger” which premiered in 2011. Since first being cast, Stan has featured in nine Marvel movies over the last 14 years.
The “Captain America” franchise has been a hugely lucrative corner of the MCU, and the four movies have collectively earned $2.65 billion at the box office, per The Numbers.
Stan has also garnered critics’ attention recently for his work in independent projects. He won a Golden Globe for his performance in 2024 in “A Different Man” and was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Donald Trump in “The Apprentice” earlier this year.
However in a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Stan said in 2010 he was “actually struggling with work” before landing his Marvel role.
“I had just gotten off the phone with my business manager, who told me I was saved by $65,000 that came in residuals from ‘Hot Tub Time Machine,'” Stan recalled.
Stan played a ski patrol bully in the 2010 science-fiction comedy that followed four friends transported back in time by a ski resort hot tub — a supporting role that provided him with much needed income.
“Hot Tub Time Machine” was moderately successful, earning $64 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, and gaining a 64% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Although those numbers are pale in comparison to the billions that Stan’s Marvel movies have made, it shows that sometimes the smaller projects can be important in other ways for actors.
Residual checks are given to actors in various circumstances, such as when the project is released on DVD or Blu-Ray, when movies or TV shows are syndicated by TV channels, or when they are added to a streaming service.
Clearly, for actors like Stan, residuals can often be a lifeline during quieter portions of their career.
It’s unclear how much Stan has earned for his continuing role as the Winter Solider in the MCU. Back in 2014, he told Newsarama (via The Hollywood Reporter) that he had signed a 9-movie deal with the studio.
Marvel actors who sign multi-movie deals often come with a 7-figure price tag. However, the longer actors stay in the MCU, their salaries increase, and they have more leverage for contingent compensation — a percent of a film’s profit.
The Marvel star is not the only actor who has lived paycheck-to-paycheck before making it big. Most recently, “Star Wars” lead John Boyega said he only had $60 left before being cast in the sequel trilogy.
In 2024, Glen Powell also said he nearly went broke waiting for “Top Gun: Maverick” to release during the pandemic.
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