While many celebrities are coming out of the woodwork to share their thrifty habits, one is admitting he’s already flown through much of his cash. Harry Potter and White Lotus star Jason Isaacs sits on an estimated $6 million fortune—though much of it might be gone.
“People will think I have huge stockpiles of money, but sadly, what I’ve done rather immaturely is expand my outgoings to match my incomings and pretty much spent everything I’ve earned over the years,” Isaacs told Vulture in a recent interview.
The British actor is estimated to have amassed millions from his incredibly successful roles: Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series, which grossed over $7 billion worldwide; Colonel William Tavington in the $200 million box office hit The Patriot; the infamous Captain Hook in the 2003 Peter Pan; and more recently, Timothy Ratliff in HBO’s massively popular TV show The White Lotus.
Isaacs could have been even richer today—but it’s not just because he likes to spend
After his many successes, 62-year-old Issacs should be sitting on a fortune most actors would gawk at. But his bank account may not be as full as the other money-conscious celebrities who have accumulated a Hollywood nest egg.
That’s because as well as enjoying spending money, Isaacs is fine with making less simply to be a part of good projects, having insisted on getting paid the same as other novice White Lotus actors while filming season three. They all got paid a flat rate of $40,000 per episode for the latest round of filming—or, around $320,000 in total.
“Do I mind that I wasn’t paid more than other people? I never work for money,” Issacs said. “I mean, I’ve done all right.”
It wasn’t the first lower-paying role he’s taken on, despite having more lucrative opportunities. Isaacs pointed to how actors can make a lot of money for going away for a month to film a streaming movie for giants like Netflix or Hulu. While he’s thrived artistically, there’s a tinge of regret over not scoring those high paychecks.
“There’s a number of things I could have done over the years that would’ve made me rich,” Isaacs added. “And now that I’m toward the autumn of my career, I think maybe I’m an idiot and I should have done some of those things and just banked it, because other people do.”
The celebrities living a very different (read: frugal) lifestyle
While the Harry Potter star might have blown through a good chunk of his wealth, many other celebrities are penny-pinching during their career highs. Actress Keke Palmer was a millionaire at just the age of 12, but she’s always stuck by a frugal lifestyle that her parents instilled in her.
“I live under my means. I think it’s incredibly important,” Palmer told CNBC in an interview last month. “If I have $1 million in my pocket, my rent is going to be $1,500—that’s how underneath my means I’m talking. My car note is going to be $340. I don’t need a [Bentley] Bentayga, I’ll ride in a Lexus.”
Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar is also known to chase a good deal whenever possible. The actress cuts coupons, researches the best gas prices, and will mull over a purchase for days before making the splurge. Gellar hates writing big checks and is very protective over the wealth she’s amassed through hits like I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scooby-Doo.
“You heard all those stories of actors who make money, and people run off with it,” Gellar told CNBC Make It in a 2018 interview. “I remember thinking, ‘If I ever had money like that, I would know where it was at all times.’”
There’s a lot of stigma behind CEOs and celebrities getting paid millions, while the average worker survives on minimum wage. So it’s less common to see these high-net-worth individuals be so open about spending their wealth, but Isaacs isn’t shy about being honest or recognizing the scrutiny.
“Generally actors don’t talk about pay in public because it’s ridiculously disproportionate to what we do—putting on makeup and funny voices—and just upsets the public,” he said.
And whether they spend it or save it, Issacs considers himself lucky to be paid (generously so) for a job he loves.
“But compared to what people normally get paid for big television shows, that’s a very low price. But the fact is, we would have paid to be in it. We probably would have given a body part.”
