GTA IV actor unhappy

The GTA 4 actor who voiced Niko Bellic in Rockstars latest hit videogame is said to be unhappy for only getting paid $100,000 for 15 months work. Rockstar has made $600 million since the game was released and the voiceover actor Michael Hollick thinks its unfair to be paid so little – “it’s tough, when you see Grand Theft Auto IV out there as the biggest thing going right now, when they’re making hundreds of millions of dollars, and we don’t see any of it.”

GTA IV actor unhappy

Michael Hollick in negotiations with Rockstars Sam Houser

The Grand Theft Auto actor needs to get some perspective when using the words ‘only’ and ‘$100,000’ in the same sentence, that’s a lot of money for a career with no real outgoing expenses other than Lemsip and cigarettes. The 35 year old actor went on to complain “Yes, the technology is important, but it’s the human performances within them that people really connect to, and I hope actors will get more respect for the work they do within those technologies”.

Rockstar did pretty well with the original GTA III where the main character didn’t even speak, but lets hope the 2009 GTA IV sequel doesn’t get cancelled because they can’t afford the diva demands of Hollywood’s finest.

Related: GTA IV PC release date, GTA IV sales figures, GTA IV review

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9 Responses

  1. volto says:

    Haha what a sucker. I’ll do the job for $90,000… He better be careful or he’ll just get replaced.

  2. Alconium says:

    Hah, he’s already been replaced, or didnt you realize they never use the same main character twice? they could give a **** about his whining, they’re just moving on to someone new for the Sequel.

  3. Stiffler says:

    While I wouldn’t complain about getting $100,000, you have to remember a couple of things. One is that this is $100,000 for 15 months’ work. There are ppl out there in other jobs who sit in an office and earn that in less than a year and some who would even earn it in a month. Now i’m not saying voice-acting is a harder job than those ones, but it isn’t as easy as a lot of ppl think. Timing has to be spot on, even with all the editing technology available, as well as a person tone and conotation. You can’t edit certain things in and out of a voice.
    The second thing is to look at the PROFITS of the game compared to the cost of making it. If the statement that Rockstar has ‘made $600 million since the game’s release’ is a profit AFTER costs have been removed, then $100,000 is NOTHING compared to what they COULD have afforded.

    I’m not saying this guy is right. I’ve always believed that if I have enough money to pay the rent, bills and food, then I’m ok and I don’t NEED more. But I CAN see where he is coming from. If you people want to attack him for his comments, go ahead, but just think about all the money Rockstar makes by paying people less and less. Each time they DO find someone willing to work for less money, it means more for them. So think about who is REALLY the greedy party here.

  4. Stiffler says:

    A couple of spelling and grammar errors above, but hey, who cares? lol

  5. GinTwin says:

    It’s interesting that he’s complaining about his wages “after” he was paid versus before he started work on the project. Voiceover artists, like all professional actors, have agents who negotiate the compensation package with the game’s producers prior to recording anything. If he was unhappy, he should have had his agent negotiate a higher salary or a package that included a percentage of game sales.

    Maybe he needs a new agent!

  6. Jim Acrobi says:

    They would never give him a percentage, GinTwin, not in a million years. Not when there’s another thousand or so voice actors who could do the job instead.

    I do agree that $100,000 is kind of measly considering the game made $600 million, but let’s put it in perspective… He wouldn’t normally get paid half that.

  7. Themis Angelopoulos says:

    Everybody thinks being actor is easy. It is not true.

  8. hossam mohamed babiker says:

    I want gta iv please

  9. Addiee says:

    Hey… the actor is right..!!!
    just check d game mann..”
    its NUMBER 1 game ” INTERNATIONALLY”
    so just $100,000 for this is just a drop…thats not fair with him…!!!