Michelle Williams, Mark Wahlberg worked for free on reshoots
Michelle Williams and Mark Wahlberg re-shot their ‘All the Money in the World’ scenes for free after Kevin Spacey was fired.
The pair had been due to appear alongside the ‘House of Cards’ actor in the John Paul Getty biopic, but after their co-star was accused of sexual misconduct by a number of men, director Sir Ridley Scott dropped him from the project and brought in Christopher Plummer to play Getty Oil Company magnate J. Paul Getty instead.
The filmmaker spent $10 million reshooting 22 scenes in the kidnapping drama with his new-look cast, and was grateful to the film’s stars that they didn’t ask for more money to be added on to their salaries.
He told USA Today newspaper: “Everyone did it for nothing. They all came in for free.”
The 80-year-old director confirmed Christopher and the crew were paid for their parts.
Michelle – who has 12-year-old daughter Matilda with late ex-partner Heath Ledger – was only too happy to give up her Thanksgiving holiday and work for free on the reshoots because she’d worried the project would be “flushed down the toilet” following the accusations against Spacey.
She said: “I just thought that this experience that we had all treasured was going to be essentially flushed down the toilet.
“I adore [Ridley], worship him, would do anything for him.
“I hated that this man’s time and expertise and gentlemanly-ness was going to be kind of for naught. So when I got the phone call about the change of plans I was thrilled. I was enlivened, it picked me up off the couch a little bit and got me excited.
“I said I’d be wherever they needed me, whenever they needed me. And they could have my salary, they could have my holiday, whatever they wanted. Because I appreciated so much that they were making this massive effort.”
And Michelle, who plays Gail Harris, the mother of kidnap victim John Paul Getty III – whose oil baron grandfather refused to pay a $10 million ransom for his release – in the movie was happy to get the chance to work with Christopher because she was a big “fan” of the veteran actor.
She told E! News: “I was excited. I have been a fan of his obviously for ages so I was thrilled to work with him and thrilled he was going to contribute to a happier ending on our story.”