This is the happiest era in Jonah Hill’s blessed life. I’m being serious. He’s happier right now than when he was hanging out with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. He’s happier now than when he was bromancing with Channing Tatum. Right now he has his second Oscar nomination (proving that his first wasn’t a fluke) and he gets to talk about working with Marty Scorsese. And he’s bromancing with the King of All Bromancers, Leonardo DiCaprio. Leo even said “I love you” to Jonah at the Critics Choice Awards. It was Jonah’s dream come true. His heart leapt, his mouth was dry, he felt all of the love and warmth in every cell of his being. Bless his heart. For real. I don’t have a hate-on for Jonah at all – I do think he’s talented and he’s amusingly full of himself, which is always fun to cover. Jonah is a gift.
So Jonah did an interview with Howard Stern after he was nominated for his second Oscar, and there are so many gems. I love all of it. Some highlights:
Jonah took a paycut to work with Marty: “They gave me the lowest amount of money possible, that was their offer. I said, ‘I will sign the paper tonight. Fax me the papers tonight.’ I want to sign them tonight before they change their mind. I said I want to sign them before I go to sleep tonight so they legally can’t change their mind.” How much did he get paid to appear in the movie about wealthy stockbrokers? “It was the minimum. I think SAG minimum is something like $60,000 before commissions and taxes….Yeah, for an almost seven-month shoot. I would sell my house and give him all my money to work for [Scorsese] . . . I would have done anything in the world. I would do it again in a second. It’s not about money for me. None of this S–T is about money. I want to make money to pay my rent, and hopefully have a family one day and have kids and stuff.”
Career regrets: “I got to f**king be in a Martin Scorsese movie and I just got nominated for an Oscar. I’m tripping out, Howard . . . I’m in shock. I’m totally in shock.”
On his douchey behavior during a Rolling Stone interview last year: “I have no excuse but I was going through a really hard time in my personal life… I shouldn’t have been doing the interview. The gentleman (reporter) comes in (to a restaurant), he doesn’t know my name, he calls me a different name… and he treated me unkind and I felt threatened and insecure and I reacted unkind and not humble. I now know to never let my personal life affect how I speak about my or other people’s work… I am a kind person and I am a humble person.”
He has a therapist: After the interview was published, Hill immediately called This Is the End filmmakers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and apologised for his behaviour and then took the article to his therapist. He added, “I read it out loud with my therapist and then we spoke about it for an hour… I acted like a fool that day.”
He has a therapist? God, I love him. He brought that Rolling Stone interview to his therapist and they worked on it for an hour? Bless. As for Jonah taking the SAG minimum for Wolf of Wall Street, I can see that and I don’t understand why it’s a big deal at all. I mean, why are people making it sound like Jonah struggled for the love of his craft? $60,000 for seven months of work is still more than the average American gets paid, first of all. Second of all, Jonah probably made high seven-figures for the 21 Jump Street sequel. This is not a guy hurting for money at all.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I like Jonah Hill. There, I said it .
Glad I’m not the only one 😀
Me too. He has great comedic timing. I loved seeing him in django. I can’t hate what he says here. It all makes sense
I like him too, he is very, very funny. My thoughts on humility though have always been, if you feel the need to say you are humble, then you are not humble.
I love him! I don’t think he’s this giant douche at all. Him and the whole Apatow crew I just can’t hate on.
I like that he’s willing to take on the supporting acting rolls. Many actors get to a level of fame and only want lead or major character rolls. He seems to take on rolls no matter how small. Like Django. That’s a very respectful way of working in film.
He’s always fun to watch in movies, he can be hateable and lovable, and he was hilarious in Django and 21 Jump St. He sounds full of himself in real life, but he’s harmless. We just get to laugh at him on- and off-screen.
He might be douchey but seriously most of them are. I’ve always thought he had “something” and now he’s proving it.
Ya! Me too!
I like him, too. Right now. When I read the RS article I was kinda sad and lost my fandom, but his apology makes it better. That interview was nothing he can’t come back from. I’m a sucker for a candid apology and someone just saying, “yep, I was a douche. My bad. I’m fixing it,” because if that isn’t in the narrative of my life I don’t know what is.
Also, maybe that interviewer was being a condescending jerk to Jonah. I will give him the benefit of the doubt, and at least he owned up to not handling it well.
Sometimes I start to warm to him, but then I remember the dozens and dozens of stories about him being a gigantic asshole to waiters, sales assistants etc. I can’t stand anyone who treats service staff poorly. Be as much of a dick as you like to people who can tell you where to go, but don’t be rude to people who have to stand there and take it to keep their job.
Don’t make me soften up on him. ugh. He actually sounded human and likeable in that interview.
I with you. I respect that he apologized for that crappy interview and actually did work on himself over it. My husband loves this guy and thinks he is hysterical. In an otherwise mediocre film full of misogyny, he was a bright spot.
Me too. It’s good that he apologized for being such a douchecanoe. And it sounds like a real apology, not an I’m-sorry-if-you-were-offended apology *cough Madonna cough*. But maybe he’s just playing the game. Who knows.
Yeah, I think he explained it in a really candid, vulnerable way. He didn’t have to go there, but he did. He seems overly earnest, which is not at all a fault, but can come off oddly, because the rest of us are snarky and looking for people to be pretentious.
What did his first Oscar nod come for? How did I miss that Jonah Hill makes Oscar bait?
Best Supporting for ‘Moneyball’, I believe.
it was for Money Ball
It was for Moneyball, the Brad Pitt movie.
And he now has more acting nominations that Robert Redford. Which is just depressing.
More than Gary Oldman and Alan Rickman COMBINED!
More than Steve Buscemi and Michael Shannon, too.
It’s about playing the game. So his second nom isn’t a fluke. It proves he plays the game very well.
Wow…you guys are seriously depressing me here. Then again, I hate the effin’ Oscars and your comments just reminded me why.
No offense to Jonah Hill but Oldman, Shannon and Redford…I mean COME ON.
If the Oscars were based on actual talent, Gary Oldman would have like ten!
Same number of nominations as Malkovich. That’s just not right. Hill didn’t even give the best supporting actor performance in the film for which he’s nominated this go round. That belongs to McConaughey.
Some people work a whole year and make nowhere close to 60,000
Yup, especially in the acting industry. But somehow it seems a bit douchey to pay one famous guy millions and the other $60,000. If hey wanted the guy because he had name recognition, it seems like he should’ve gotten more money if his name is a box office draw.
I was just coming to say that; I make less than 60k for 12 months of work. Good thing my husband makes decent money.
Hell, my boyfriend makes exactly 60k for twelve months of work, and I thought that WAS decent money (not just in comparison with my own salary)…
WOWS ‘s budget was $100 millions (without promotion) !!! how can Scorcese and Dicaprio be so cheap with their supporting actor?
That’s what I don’t get – I could see on an indie movie, taking a cut to do a project you loved, but this was a big budget, highly publicized film. And why did it take so long to make it?
Maybe it was $60k up front and then a take on the back end profits? Isn’t that common these days? I highly doubt he walked away in the end with scale pay.
He probably did. He doesn’t strike me as someone who would negotiate. I think he means it – that he’d do it for free if he got to work with talent. Plus he just had a massive payday with Jump St.
So what, homeboy is rich beyond our wildest dreams AND that was a resume making turn, with Scorsese AND an Oscar nom (well deserved imo), and being allowed to fondly gaze at Leo and whiff his leftover models, so it more than paid off
Those pictures with Leo were PRICELESS. I mean, dude just finished a SEVEN MONTH shoot with Leo–and he’s acting like he ran into Leo that night. Contrast that with the pic of Leo and Lupita…….Lupita, whatever her feelings for him may be, greeted him like an equal. Like a boss.
I collect my life every time the camera catches him adoringly fangirling Dicaprio
What was Jonah’s percentage of the back end ?
Maybe he got to hold Leo’s hand for a few minutes….
Exactly what I was thinking. There is no way he didn’t get incentives in his contract. Like a million if he gets nominated, a million if the movie gets nominated, a million if it makes over a certain amount. This is just window dressing to make it sound so deep and personal of Jonah when in fact he made bank on this movie, for sure.
Oops…I just said this upthread. Didn’t realize you already covered it.
I can’t shade him for his Leo or pitt love. Heck posters go on and on here about some folks, serious Stans over people that they have never even met!
I don’t think he saying what he got paid to make people feel sorry for his financial situation. I think he’s saying it to let people know that he wanted the job that badly.
+1
Exactly. People are twisting this into something else.
I heard the interview. He never said it as to say 60k was a pittance. At aaaaalll. I dunno why people are on his jock. Listen to the interview. Howard asked him what he made and he told him.
+2
Yes. And he comes from a very rich family. The guy has never hurt for money. If anything this is PR spin to make people forget he’s kind of a pretentious jerk.
I do agree with Kaiser on this is the happiest he’s ever been. He wants to be in scorsese films. He wants to be seen as the next Leo and Brad. Not the guy from “This is The End” or “Superbad”.
I guess I just can’t like this guy. He’s smugness repels me.
I can’t believe this fool has two Oscar nominations. He has more nominations than Gary Oldman.
I’m with you. Can’t stand Jonah and Gary Oldman is a great actor
+1
Can’t stand this guy at all! (And he’s getting fat again. There, I said it!)
This is shameful. Really puts into perspective how bull$hit the academy awards really are.
He really gushes like a girl when it comes to Leo & Scorsese, so I won’t pick on someone that is so love.
But as far as taking an article from a bad interview to your therapist, wow soooo hollywood. These people really do live in lives I can’t fathom.
I like Jonah Hill and I thought his explanation for his behavior in that interview sounded sincere, which I guess is all you can ask. For some reason, the thought of him reading that interview out lout to his therapist makes me smile.
I read that so called interview, and the interviewer was the world’s biggest dick. Why force someone to smoke pot if they don’t want to? And judge them for it? It actually made me sympathetic towards the guys covered in the article. Rolling Stone is such a joke now.
“I am a kind person and I am a humble person.” In fact, I am THE most humble person. Marty and Leo told me I was.
LOL
LOL! This made my morning.
Haha. Awesome!
It’s a funny world we live in when we gasp at the thought of someone ( even an ignorant actor) making $60k for a mere 7 months of work in one year, LOL! I think getting paid that much money to PRETEND to be someone in front of a camera would be a dream come true.
they do have to give a percentage of their income to their agent and manager and all that, so he doesn’t get all that in the hand. But yeah, it’s certainly not my idea of a hard-knock life!
My take on Jonah, well I think he is really funny and he turned out to be a great dramatic actor too. I love him in all his movies. But the guy is just so insecure and it’s so painfully obvious in everything he says. I feel sorry for him and I don’t hate him for it. I don’t think this is a case of an inflated ego, it’s a MAJORLY insecure guy who just can’t hide it. And everyone is making fun of him for it. I support him.
+1000. That’s the impression I get, too.
That’s how I take it too. It’s the fat kid who loses a lot of weight but never his insecurity about it.
Yes. Well said!
+1
What an obvious story to leak right before the Oscars. “Jonah Hill is suffering for his art!!! VOTE FOR HIM!!!!”
He’s back tracking. His PR said do this, do that, say this and say that to get people to change their minds about him.
He’s a douche, arrogant and in my opinion thats his true colors. Humbe? Please. If he didn’t care about the money why mention it at all? If he doesn’t care about fame why are there pics of him with celebs? Many celebs just do movies and you never see them really. It CAN be done.
But even with these nominations and movie roles he will never ever be a Leo or Brad Pitt. Ever. And you can tell he really really want to be. In all ways : money, acting, looks, bod, women, fame, etc. He is now just saying what we want to hear so he gets the public on his side.
I am not falling for it.
Agree 100%. I cannot stand this douchebag.
+2
I hope he never *is* a Leo or Brad.
I agree as well and like someone said above there are too many stories about how he treats the help for me to suddenly start liking this guy. I really really want to know how Lucas Haas feels about all of this. Do you think they fight about who gets to worship Leo the most? Weird group of folks IMO.
“Only” 60,000 for 7 months work… that’s more than a lot of people make in a year.
But everyday folks only have to deal with taxes before they take home the net.
An actor deals with taxes, THEN pays 20% to his/her agent, 10% to his/her manager, not to mention paying an assistant, accountant, etc. AND the payments to the agent and manager are based on the gross of $60k, not the net. I bet he probably broke even.
He did this role for the love of the craft. I don’t like him, but I admire that he did this. And he had boatloads of funds from other projects that allowed him to make this choice.
+1, MsGoblin, to everything you said.
The actual figure that an actor banks in their personal account by the end of the day is no where near their original paycheck. It’s more complex than people realise.
He repulses me with his behavior. Cannot stand him.
Glad I’m not the only one.
Jonah is jewish middle class. We pride ourselves on having a therapist. Its like having a personal trainer.
At least he owned up to being a d***, talked about it with a shrink and apologized. He gets props for that.
Lots of people don’t like him… but he doesn’t bother me at all. Besides, I thought that he was HILARIOUS in 21 Jump Street. Can’t wait for the sequel.
Great negotiating skills. Please take me, please, I’ll do anything, I’ll pay you!
To be fair, it’s not like the movie was being directed by Joe Schmoe. It was Martin freaking Scorcese.
… and i truly wish that still meant something. scorsese is not what he was back in the day. if i were jonah i’d be bummed to lose a role in one of scorseses films, sure, but it wouldn’t crush me. his filmography today is nothing special. he was great in the 70’s/80’s, but today? eh, let’s be real, it’s mostly misses. but i don’t like dicaprio at all… so, i guess i’m biased.
Well he is absolutely not apoligizing for being a douche, he is actually justifying being a douche.
He is such an *ss ans so full of himself it makes him really funny.
“Its not about money”
BS!!!
Ofcourse its about money, its about getting to the cred level where you’ll be getting parts with huge paychecks way above what you’re making now.
If you have to say that you’re a kind and humble person, that means you’re not those things. What’s that the new form of humble brag?
It’s like when Rooney Mara was talking about her aloof nature. Same thing.
The problem will all these awards, is that they’re a mix of popularity and talent, sometimes the latter pays off, most of times, it’s just a popularity redux.
Just because he’s on a Scorsese roller-coaster, doesn’t mean he’s actually worth it.
The same thing applies to Bradley Cooper.
I don’t know if I even believe this. hmmmm…
If leo got paid a lot more than him, it doesn’t really seem fair.
There’s no “if” about it my dear. I’m sure Leo was paid millions…not JLaw or RDJ millions IMO though. Some people don’t realize how much money goes into a production…especially with the scale of WOWS and it going on for 7 months?? That’s why actors have backend deals. Also you can’t say it’s not fair if Jonah agreed to be paid anything and didn’t want his agent to negotiate a higher rate at the risk of losing the role. I can’t say it’s not fair if my coworker gets paid more than me if he has senority, and negotiated a better pay rate.
I don’t know why, but I get Jonah Hill, Seth Rogan, and Andy Samberg mixed up. I watch Brooklyn 99 though so I’m getting to know Andy a little better (and of the 3 I like him best).
Bleh. I can’t stand him. I think he and his therapist should have spent about a month working through that article, not an hour.
Poor baby.
It disturbs me that Jonah Hill has more academy nominations than Rachel Weisz.
love him.
I thought he was terrific in Moneyball, but I don’t know anything about him, so he comes off as sweet in this interview. I think it’s wonderful that he gets to realise an acting dream. Overall he sounds like a big kid.
Sadly, you are known by the friends you keep and his friendship with Leo makes me wonder. Hopefully he will grow up one day.
I never really knew if I liked him or not but then when I read the Rolling Stone article I immediately decided I did NOT. However, now having read his responses to these questions I have changed my mind. He seems extremely down to earth in his reasons for why he acted like an ass.
I disliked Jonah Hill for years because he put me off so much in “Superbad” (seriously, was I the only person who f*cking HATED that movie?!). Then saw “Wolf of Wall Street” and in spite of myself found him to be BY FAR the best part. Then watched a few interviews with him and was shocked to find him kind of adorable. I feel like my world was turned on its head.
I liked Superbad LOL
But then again I like Pineapple Express, This is the end (Only in Danny McBride scenes), and the Will Ferrel movies. And Eastbound and Down. I like that humor hahaha
But if I didn’t, I’d hate Superbad.
So Jonah Hill was paid more than the average US salary for 7 months of work during which he basically played Jonah Hill with false teeth and a false penis, hung out with Scorsese and Leo, and appeared in scenes with dozens of naked women. How much were all those naked women, including Margot Robbie, paid to go full-frontal and allow Leo to sniff powder off their bodies?
60k is bs. as a bottom of the barrel entry level no diploma accountant in the film industry. I make more than 60k a movie
60k is bs. as a bottom of the barrel entry level no diploma accountant in the film industry. I make more than 60k a movie
I don’t think Jonah Hill getting a second Oscar nomination proves anything other than the Academy has completely lost its mind, practices bias and favoratism (which we have long known), and several better performances were passed up in favor of giving him this. Johah Hill has no range and plays the same character in every movie. I’m happy if he has found happiness, but to say he is overrated is an understatement. Likeable, yes. Two-time Oscar nominee? Some people have all the luck. Jonah has found himself at the right place at the right time.
Someone at work just told me his dad is one of the biggest agents (the biggest?) in Hollywood and that he had a career waiting for him, knows all the right people, doesn’t need money etc. Is that true? I could Google it, but I’m sure someone here knows already…
Did anyone see the item from The Dirty where Jonah offered Nik Richie a ton of money to take down an incriminating story about Jonah’s brother? His brother sounds like a horrible person. Wang pics were involved.