It's full speed ahead for 'Stranger Things'. Throughout the past few weeks the Netflix show has been shrouded by controversy, most notably with regard to Charlie Heaton's drugs scandal, but it appears as though nothing can deter the kids from Hawkins. The cast have just about finished negotiations on their contracts and it's all in good time, because the show's third season is just around the corner.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the cast have been split up into different tiers according to their ages. Winona Ryder and David Harbour, as the adults on the show, have been placed in the A tier; they'll each make $350,000 (just over £250,000) per episode. Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin and Noah Schnapp make up the B tier as the four children of the series. Their salaries will be upped by 12%, so they'll each now earn $250,000 (nearly £180,000) per episode. The 'Stranger Things' teens, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton and Joe Keery in the C tier will now earn $150,000 (just over £105,000) per episode.
And what of the show's star, Millie Bobby Brown, we hear you ask. Well, for now at least, there's no news on her salary, although we do know that she asked to separate herself from the rest of the cast upon contract renegotiations. As per the THR article, some believe the actress behind Eleven could earn as much as the adults, but others think she may belong in a tier of her own, earning $300,000 per episode. It's also not known how much new additions Sadie Sink and Dacre Montgomery will earn. The two joined the show in season 2.
A well-earned pay rise
Filming for season 3 will start on 23rd April. During the first two seasons of the show, the stars were earning significantly less. The children earned $20,000 per episode (just under £15,000) whilst Ryder and Harbour received $100,000 and $80,000 per episode, respectively. To say the pay raises are well earned would be an understatement, for the show has become one of Netflix's most successful, and although the streaming platform doesn't release audience figures, it's evident that the nostalgic series is transcending the screen to fast becoming a cultural phenomenon.
That said, however, the 'Stranger Things' stars aren't the highest earners when it comes to the small screen. Just this January, it was revealed Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman would each take away just over $1 million per episode of 'Big Little Lies'. Are we witnessing an inflation of TV salaries?
It sure appears that way.
