James Cromwell says he only received $50,000 for Oscar-nominated Babe performance

Producers apparently said ‘that’ll do’ when actor asked for more money

James Cromwell in 1995’s Babe (Rex Features)

Actor James Cromwell has revealed he was paid just $50,000 (£36,000) for his Oscar-nominated performance in Babe.

Cromwell, 80, starred as Farmer Hoggett in the 1995 adaptation of Dick King Smith’s children’s book, about a pig who wants to work as a sheepdog.

The movie was a box office hit, grossing over $254 million (£187m) at the global box office and receiving seven Oscar nominations, including Best Supporting Actor for Cromwell.

However, the Succession star told The Telegraph that producers would not raise his salary even after the film’s success.

“I took my contract to Kevin Costner’s lawyer who told me what to change. Then I got a call from [producer] George Miller’s hatchet man who said, ‘An agreement is an agreement’. I said: ‘But look how much money you’ve made!’" he recalled.

“He said: ‘You haven’t done so bad. You have an Academy Award nomination out of it. And did you get LA Confidential on the strength of it?’ I said: ‘Yeah.’ He said: ‘Well, that’s payment enough.’"

Contrastingly, Cromwell said he received “more than I’d ever made” to appear in Space Cowboys, with a fee of $900,000 (£664,000).

“I thought if he really wanted me, maybe he’d go to a million. I called him back to ask and he said no,” Cromwell said.

Among the actor’s other film and TV credits are Boardwalk Empire, The Artist, American Horror Story, Angels in America, and The Young Pope.

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