Buy one get one free: Harrison Ford cuts his pay in half

CUT PRICE: Harrison with Calista

Friday January 23,2009

HOLLYWOOD veteran Harrison Ford is the latest star name to feel the effects of the credit crunch.

The Indiana Jones star, who can normally command more than £10 million per film, has, according to industry insiders, agreed to have the fee for his next movie Morning Glory slashed by almost half.

Ford, 66, is said to have agreed to the reduction when Paramount Pictures insisted on a lower price tag for the project.
"Harrison has long been one of the movie industry's biggest earners but with the current economic climate, he's had to make sacrifi ces like everyone else, " says our man in Tinsletown.

"Harrison realised the film wouldn't be able to go ahead unless he did it for signifi cantly less."

Ford, who made his name as Han Solo in the original Star Wars fi lms, plays an old-school news anchorman in the forthcoming fl ick who, having quit his prestigious evening show, is tempted back to revive a failing breakfast programme.

Ford's co-star Rachel McAdams has also followed suit with a pay cut, reportedly receiving £2.9 million - half her fee for her last movie.

Ford, who is engaged to Calista Flockhart, 44, isn't the only big star to have his salary reduced courtesy of the economic downturn. British actor Michael Sheen is understood to have taken less pay than normal for his role in Frost/Nixon, while the Oscar-winning Meryl Streep is another said to have agreed to a drop in salary for her film Julie & Julia.

"Harrison loves the story behind this film and was determined it got made, " adds our movie mole. "Both he and Rachel were happy to do it for less because they passionately believe in the project.