Blue Bloods Not the First: 5 Times Actors Agreed to Pay Cuts to Save a Show

Blue Bloods has been popular on CBS since its debut in 2010. The show is now expected to wrap up at the end of Season 15 after 15 years of the Reagan family (and those Sunday night dinners) lighting up our screens.

But when the cast, including big names such as Tom Selleck, Bridget Moynahan and Donnie Wahlberg, return to start filming season 14, it seems they'll be doing so for 25% lower wages than they're used to.

And it's not just the main cast taking a pay cut. Showrunner Kevin Wade is expected to do the same in order to ensure the new season goes ahead. Some of the show's top earners have agreed to reduce their salaries in order to help the hundreds of crew members and other staff involved in producing the show (who are paid much less).

But this is not the first time actors have taken a pay cut to ensure their work is aired.

Here are 5 other examples:

1. The Big Bang Theory

When Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch fought for equal pay for all cast members on The Big Bang Theory, the majority of the main cast agreed to take a $100,000 per episode pay cut in support of their colleagues.

2. Friends

The cast of Friends were famously paid $1 million per episode by the end of the show's run, but when they started, they all earned $22,000 each. In season 2, Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer were paid more than the other four cast members. But when it came time to negotiate pay for season 3, the Ross and Rachel actors took a pay cut, with the money being used to ensure equal pay for all the main cast members.

3. Devil's advocate

When Keanu Reeves was signed to play Kevin Lomax in Devil's Advocate, he was so desperate for Al Pacino to be cast as John Milton that he took a pay cut so the studio could afford to bring in the Hollywood icon.

4. The Wolf of Wall Street

Similarly, Jonah Hill accepted a pay offer of just $60,000 to appear in The Wolf of Wall Street - compared to the $10 million paid to Leonardo DiCaprio. Why? He just wanted to work with Martin Scorsese.

5. On the road

After starring in the Twilight movies, Kristen Stewart was one of many stars to land roles in the low-budget On the Road. Of course, low-budget films tend not to pay as much as blockbusters. So Stewart agreed to be paid just 1% of what she was paid for her work in Twilight.