Brad Pitt’s $6,000 salary for his Oscar-winning film doesn’t seem too bad when you consider what he was doing before landing the role.
Written by: Hashim
Reviewed by: Sayantan
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SUMMARY
- Brad Pitt was fourth in consideration for the role of J.D. in Thelma & Louise after Grant Show, Mark Ruffalo, and George Clooney.
- Thanks to Ridley Scott and Geena Davis, Pitt landed the role but for a very low salary of $6000.
- However, the film became Pitt's first Oscar-winning film after it won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar.
Brad Pitt has yet to bag his Best Actor Oscar but he has been part of several Oscar-winning films. Interestingly, Pitt’s career was truly kickstarted by an Oscar-winning film that cast him in a role that also considered George Clooney. Filmmaker Ridley Scott cast the Fight Club actor as J.D. in his feminist film, Thelma & Louise.

The film, starring Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, went on to win the Best Original Screenplay for Callie Khouri at the 64th Academy Awards. However, Pitt wasn’t paid a whole lot of money compared to the millions he raked in later in his career. He was paid $6000 for his role in the film.
Brad Pitt’s first major role that paid him $6000 went on to win an Oscar

Brad Pitt appeared in several credited and uncredited roles in Hollywood from 1987 until he got his breakthrough in 1991 with Thelma & Louise. He played J.D., the handsome young man whom Geena Davis’ Thelma falls for. In an interview with W Magazine, Pitt recalled that he had to audition three times to get the role.
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Davis shared during an episode of The Graham Norton Show that she found Pitt to be so “charismatic” and “incredibly talented”. She also revealed that Grant Show, Mark Ruffalo, and George Clooney auditioned for the role. Pitt later told The Sun UK that he was “grateful to Ridley Scott and Geena, who gave me that shot”.
Pitt’s high-profile career that would go on to earn him a $400 million fortune began with this role that paid him just $6000. Pitt had no complaints as he shared that he came to Los Angeles with just $275 and worked as an extra in films before landing Scott’s film. The salary, which seems measly now, was a pretty big deal for Pitt at the time. He shared with The Sun UK:
I had $275 to my name, and I saw in the paper that you could sign up for work as an extra, so I signed up for three places. Within a week, I was doing extra work, and I was really, really happy.
Thelma & Louise went on to receive six nominations at the 64th Academy Awards. Ridley Scott was nominated for Best Director and both Davis and Susan Sarandon were nominated for Best Actresses. However, it was writer Callie Khouri who took the Oscar home. It also made the film Pitt’s first Oscar-winning film.
Brad Pitt’s stint at the Oscars — He has two awards to his name

Besides being part of Oscar-winning films, Brad Pitt had a long and successful run at the Oscars. Despite delivering some of the best leading performances in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Moneyball, Pitt has yet to receive a Best Actor Oscar. He was nominated in the category for both these roles.
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Pitt’s first Oscar nomination came in 12 Monkeys, where he received the nod for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Jeffrey Goines. His second nod in the category went on to win him the award. The win for the role of Cliff Booth in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood was his first Oscar for an acting performance.
As a producer, three of his films competed in the Best Picture category. While Moneyball and The Big Short couldn’t win the Oscar, 12 Years a Slave produced under Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment won the Best Picture Oscar.
Thelma & Louise is now available for streaming on Prime Video.
Brad PittThelma and Louise
Written by Hashim Asraff
Articles Published: 2233
Hashim, Entertainment Writer. With over 2000 published articles on FandomWire, he covers a wide range of topics from celebrity life to comic book movies. He holds a Masters degree in Sociology and his expertise proves invaluable in handling sensitive news. His passion for crime investigation thrillers has turned him into a detective, exploring the darkest corners of the internet during his research.