With Kim Cattrall making bank after brief AJLT cameo, who else had a payday with minimal screen time?

Opinions are divided in the PeopleWorld office regarding the “Sex and the City” spin-off, “And Just Like That.” While half the team think it’s incredibly poor compared to the original, the other half think it’s a great companion piece to “Sex and the City.” I’ll let that argument continue on in the background.

But what everyone can attest to is just how well Kim Cattrall did in terms of negotiating her appearance in the spin-off. For the fee of £790,000, producers received a grand total of 60 seconds of screen time and 20 lines - at least that is what the Daily Mail have reported.

That Cattrall even made a cameo in “And Just Like That” was incredible in itself given the viciousness of the feud between herself and Sarah Jessica Parker. Cattrall has been vocal previously about her wish to move on from the “Sex and the City” franchise, admitting her only “demand” while the drama was being played on during the filming of “Sex And The City 2” was that she did not want to star in the movie. 

But the bit part in the latest season of “And Just Like That” doesn’t mean that amends have been made between what has been coined as “Team Carrie” against “Team Samantha.” Numerous reports emerged that in filming her cameo for the show, Cattrall was filmed on a green screen away from the other cast members to avoid what we can only fathom would be a confrontation.

But when it’s all said and done, Cattrall has taken the money and run - and can you blame her, when you take a look at other performers across the history of film who commanded high fees for only a limited amount of screen time?

Who else earned a large payday for a small role in film?

Marlon Brando - Superman (1978)

Not just content with earning a maximum payday for his brief-but-memorable role in the first “Superman” movie starring Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando also demanded that his name be among the top names in both the opening credits and the movie posters. 

He was a key part of the film though; playing Superman’s father Jor-El, it was the opening scenes when Krypton was about to be destroyed that we heard Brando’s dulcet tones wishing his son Kal-El the best as he evacuated him from his home planet to Earth, where he was raised by the Kent family. For his role, Brando picked up an estimated $3 to $4 million USD for his appearance.

Alec Guiness - Star Wars (1977)

Without Obi Wan Kenobi, would he have had the Star Wars saga? Though Alec Guiness was a central figure in the film series, the most screen time he would have during the original trilogy would be in 1977’s “A New Hope.” 

Guinness negotiated a deal that included a percentage of the film's gross earnings. It's estimated that his earnings from "Star Wars" eventually exceeded $100,000 despite his relatively small role. A similar situation years later involved Jack Nicholson’s role as The Joker in Tim Burton’s “Batman” movie in 1989, where he took a percentage of the box office rather than a fee. In both instances, the move paid off.

Tom Felton - The Harry Potter film series

Despite being a Harry Potter antagonist (and without spoiling it too much, ultimately an anti-hero in the end), Tom Felton’s character Draco Malfoy across all eight Harry Potter films only had a total of 31 minutes and 45 seconds of screen time.

That did not stop Felton from receiving a big payday, with the British actor reportedly earning £14 million GBP for his involvement in the film franchise. Somewhere, Marlon Brando is looking down fondly for the hustle Felton managed to accrue that amount.

Jamie Lee Curtis - Halloween Resurrection (2002)

The “Halloween” franchise is often a confusing one when it comes to what is canon and what isn’t; horror movie fans will hopefully help you out regarding what story arcs branching from John Carpenter’s original 1978 slash follow what Michael Myers universe. 

But Jamie Lee Curtis has been a synonymous name with the franchise, after her “final girl” role in 1978’s film. She has gone on to be killed, have a child, become a recluse and even attempt to finish Myers off once and for all - depending on what timeline you follow. But for her role in 2002’s “Halloween: Resurrection” she was paid a cool $3 million USD - to be killed off moments into the film.

Johnny Depp - 21 Jump Street (2012)

Johnny Depp became a household name due to his casting in ‘80s procedural drama “21 Jump Street” with a reported $45,000 USD paid to the actor per episode before he left to pursue other career opportunities. 

However, he made a cameo in the 2012 “21 Jump Street” film towards the end of the film - though it wasn’t reported how much he got paid for his cameo appearance, the salary for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in 2011’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” was reported to be $35 million USD. We’d no doubt believe that it wouldn’t be chump change to rope in his appearance alongside Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum.