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You’d think it was because of his role as the smouldering James Bond in four (soon-to-be five) movies that Daniel Craig (53) is the most highly paid actor in Hollywood.
But the prime reason for his booming bank balance is his gig in another murder-mystery franchise.
While the star recently told UK publication Candis, “I’ve been lucky enough to land one of the best roles in movie history,” referring to his role as secret agent 007, Daniel actually has his part as Detective Benoit Blanc in the film series Knives Out to thank for his wealth.
Daniel came out top of the pops on entertainment magazine Variety’s list of film stars with the biggest salaries, and is pocketing a reported $100 million (R1,4 billion) from the sale of two sequels to director Rian Johnson’s Knives Out. Netflix spent about $465m (R6,7bn) for the rights to Knives Out 2 and 3.
Other big names who made Variety’s list include Dwayne Johnson who was paid a cool $50m (R725m) for his role in globe-trotting holiday adventure Red One.
Will Smith and Denzel Washington each cashed in on $40m (R580m) each for their roles in biopic King Richard and The Little Things respectively, while Leonardo DiCaprio also made the list with $30m (R430m) for upcoming sci-fi comedy Don’t Look Up.
But if Daniel’s kids expect to one day lay their hands on his fortune they’ll have to think again. The actor has previously stated that he finds the idea of leaving an inheritance for his kids “distasteful”.
Now he’s doubled down on those claims.
"Isn't there an old adage that if you die a rich person, you've failed?" he recently told Candis magazine. “My philosophy is: get rid of it or give it away before you go," he said.
Daniel has a two-year-old daughter with his actress wife, Rachel Weisz, and an adult daughter, Ella (thought to be around 29), from his first marriage to Fiona Loudon.
Artists like Sting and Elton John also seem to share the same sentiments as Daniel when it comes to wealth and their children.
“The boys live the most incredible lives,” Elton once said of the two sons he shares with his husband, David Furnish. “They’re not normal kids, and I’m not pretending they are. But you have to have some semblance of normality, some respect for money, some respect for work.”
And Sting once revealed, “I told them [his six children] there won’t be much money left because we’re spending it.”
While the world now knows his eye-popping salary for the Knives Out sequels, Daniel, who’s chosen not to reveal his younger daughter’s name, maintains that living a private life with his family is most important to him.
"It's nothing I should complain about really, because I also have huge benefits out of being who I am. But the fact is that privacy is a hugely important part of my life, and this being a . . . celebrity . . . makes me nervous, actually," he says.
"There is a side of my life that I just choose not to share and not to discuss. I think people's private life is something private, and that's that."
SOURCES: VARIETY.COM, CANDIS.CO.UK, TELEGRAPH.CO.UK, DAILYMAIL.CO.UK, INSIDER.COM
