Members R!ck Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 Grey's Stars See More Green by Gina Serpe Fri Mar 9, 8:44 AM ET Los Angeles (E! Online) - Sometimes it pays to keep your mouth shut. Sometimes it pays a lot. That's the lesson learned by select members of the Grey's Anatomy cast who were handsomely rewarded for acting services rendered as ABC Television Studios reupped their contracts. Series namesake Ellen Pompeo was the best compensated of the lot, signing a new contract that will see her rake in roughly $200,000 per episode, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Costars T.R. Knight, Justin Chambers, James T. Pickens Jr. and reigning SAG Award winner for Best Actress in a Drama Chandra Wilson fared almost as well, with each now set to receive $125,000 per episode. The news comes in the wake of the ABC hit's Golden Globe win for Best TV Drama and the cast earning a SAG Award for Best Ensemble in a Drama Series. Better and more generous still, the salary bumps are reportedly retroactive, meaning that the actors will also receive a major one-time payout compensating for the difference between what they were making and what they will be making per episode, dating back to this season's premiere. While each of the cast members was already under seven-year contracts, it's typical for players on breakout hits to renegotiate after the second season. Grey's Anatomy is currently in its third. Conspicuously absent from the raise news are Sandra Oh, Patrick Dempsey, Katherine Heigl and Isaiah Washington, who are variously still negotiating or just happy to be employed. According to the Hollywood Reporter, a contingent of supporting players—in other words, the non-McDreamys—banded together prior to contract talks, à la the Friends cast, with the belief that they could demand more as a group. However, the all-for-one mentality quickly broke down, leading to individual, and in some cases, very public, renegotiation processes. Last week, details of Heigl's contract talks were aired in the press, leaving both the actor and the studio to call foul on the leak. Sources revealed that Heigl and ABC TV Studios had reached a stalemate in their negotiations, with Heigl apparently feeling shortchanged in comparison to Pompeo and Oh, especially with mounting buzz surrounding her performance in the would-be summer blockbuster Knocked Up. The studio responded by stating that Heigl "is an integral part of Grey's Anatomy and its success," but seemed to blame her camp for revealing the stalled talks to reporters. "In recognition of her tremendous talent and value to the show, we recently approached Katherine with an offer to raise her compensation significantly above the terms of her current contract," the network said. "We were surprised to see this gesture negatively reported in the press, and want to reassure fans that she will continue as Izzie Stevens." Heigl responded with her own statement saying she was "embarrassed" and "disappointed" that her private squabble had been so publicly aired. "I dropped out of the renegotiation simply because I wanted to treat myself with the respect I was not getting from them," she said. Whatever the outcome of her deal, however, Heigl will no doubt fare better than Washington. The actor has been a lighting rod for controversy, after directing a homophobic slur against Knight. Washington eventually issued an apology to the network, show producers and his cast mates, checked into rehab and underwent a major PR overhaul. Last week, when asked by Entertainment Weekly whether he would be returning for another season, he simply said, "I don't know the facts of what's going on." Now there's speculation that while the actor may keep his job, he might not share in the network's largesse with his colleagues. Meanwhile, while the behind-the-scenes drama heats up, another actor has signed on for some on-camera action. Veronica Mars' Chris Lowell is the latest guest star on the two-hour special episode of Grey's Anatomy that will serve as a pilot for the prospective spinoff starring Kate Walsh. Lowell joins the already announced Tim Daly, Taye Diggs and Hector Elizondo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mason Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 Hopefully, that means it's not gonna happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JER Soaps Fan Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 I'm sorry, but Ellen Pompeo is making JUST $200,000 on one of the hottest shows on TV? That's just a sin. That just boggles my mind. She deserves at LEAST $500,000 to $700,000. This is an outrage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JER Soaps Fan Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 "Costars T.R. Knight, Justin Chambers, James T. Pickens Jr. and reigning SAG Award winner for Best Actress in a Drama Chandra Wilson fared almost as well, with each now set to receive $125,000 per episode." So let me get this straight -- Sandra OH, Sandra FREAKING OH -- just makes $125,000?!! That's a PAUPER by TV standards. I just lost a little respect for her. ABC, this is an OUTRAGE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pest Spray Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 Personally, I don't get why a lesser actress like Pompeo gets more money than a genius like Chandra Wilson or Kate Walsh. Seriously. Sure, it's GREY's Anatomy, but GREY ain't all that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mason Posted March 11, 2007 Members Share Posted March 11, 2007 ITA! Forget that she plays the title character, it's practically criminal that someone of mediocre talent like Pompeo is making more than the likes of Chandra Wilson, Kate Walsh and Sandra Oh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JER Soaps Fan Posted March 11, 2007 Members Share Posted March 11, 2007 Please, Ellen Pompeo IS Grey's Anatomy. And that's a lot coming from someone who used to hate the character because she was a selifsh drunken slut! Pompeo's powerful portrayal turned ME around. That's why I'm a lifetime believer in her now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mason Posted March 11, 2007 Members Share Posted March 11, 2007 Throughout the entire run of the series so far, Pompeo has really only been able to impress me once or twice. Compared with all the times that Wilson, Walsh, Oh, and others have blown me away on this show, Pompeo can't compete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members R!ck Posted March 11, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 11, 2007 Exactly Jsf! She is the lead character on TV's #1 Drama, so she should at least make $350,000 like Charlie Sheen (He's on TV's #1 Comedy and he makes 350,000 per episode) and Grey's is pulling 8-10 more million viewers than 2.5 men. Here's how is should be Tier 1 = $350,000 Ellen Pompeo Patrick Dempsy Tier 2 - $300,000 Chandra Wilson Sandra Oh Tier 3 = $250,000 Katherine Heigl Kate Walsh James Pickins Jr. T. R. Knight Justin Chambers Tier 4 = $200,000 Sara Ramirez Eric Dane Isaiah Washington Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dawn9476 Posted March 11, 2007 Members Share Posted March 11, 2007 She will probably that make much eventually. The show is still young. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dawn9476 Posted March 11, 2007 Members Share Posted March 11, 2007 What season did Charlie start making that much because GA is only in it's third? Plus, he is on sitcom. Sitcom stars always make more money because it costs less to produce a sitcom than a one hour drama. Sitcoms also have smaller casts. That is another reason why you saw the cast of Friends making a million dollars a show their last two seasons. I believe Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt made that much their last season on Mad About You. You will never see a star on a drama make that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dawn9476 Posted March 11, 2007 Members Share Posted March 11, 2007 No it isn't. Not for a drama as young and with a cast as large as Grey's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dawn9476 Posted March 11, 2007 Members Share Posted March 11, 2007 ETA: And not when the ladies on DH are making $250,000 dollars per eppy. Though I am sure since they just signed a new contract as well, they have gotten pay raises. Ellen and Patrick making $200,000 dollars is not that bad. Plus, I bet they have a clause in their contract that has them getting a pay raise when they start their fifth season. Not to mention, they will be raking it in when the show goes into syndication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members R!ck Posted March 11, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 11, 2007 This season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dawn9476 Posted March 11, 2007 Members Share Posted March 11, 2007 That is why he is making that much. What is this? His sixth season on that show? Ellen is going onto her fourth season. That is why she is making less. She will probably be making that or more when GA goes into their fifth season. I am sure that everyone at GA's has clauses in their contract that they will get a pay increase for their fifth season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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