Richard Madden (Robb Stark) says he “was paid f*ck all” for his time on Game of Thrones
Richard Madden played Robb Stark for the first three seasons of Game of Thrones, right up until he was famously stabbed to death at the Red Wedding in “The Rains of Castamere.”
Still too soon?
Anyway, Madden recently talked with The Times UK about his time on Thrones, and revealed something surprising:
"People think I am [loaded] because of Game of Thrones, but you know, when I signed up for that I was 22, with fuck all on my CV, so I was paid fuck all."
Madden played a beloved and popular character, so count us among those who assumed he had raked it in. Still, even by season 3, Game of Thrones hadn’t blown up yet, and HBO is still a cable network and doesn’t usually dish out network salaries, at least not at the start of a show’s lifecycle and especially not to new actors. If Robb had just survived a while longer, Madden could be pulling down over $1 million per episode, like the show’s leading performers are now.
On the topic of money, the Times also asked Madden about the well-known pay gap between men and women working in TV and film. “I care less about how much other people are paid, and more what it takes for me to shut up and go and do my job,” he said.
"The equality thing needs to be addressed hugely between male and female co-stars. I know that from friends of mine. But there’s only so much I can do for myself. Agents and lawyers, they do all that stuff. I just kind of deal with what I need to, so I don’t look a producer in the eye and f*cking hate them when they’re talking about their villas, and you’re thinking, shit, I’m getting the bus at the weekend, because I don’t have the money for a cab, you know?"
At least Madden got a career out of Game of Thrones; he played the Prince in Disney’s live-action remake of Cinderella, and has the title role in a new BBC One show: Bodyguard.
Bodyguard airs Sunday nights on BBC One. Watch it or Madden won’t be able to afford bus fare.
Next. HBO offers discounts on back-to-school Game of Thrones merch!. dark
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h/t NME