# Embarrasing Commercials and actors' pay **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 12, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrasing-commercials-and-actors-pay/499568 "2009-06-12T17:09:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrasing-commercials-and-actors-pay/499568/21 "2009-06-13T19:47:40Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Well, given that actors, and in particular, ones that make it big, careers DEPEND on that very thing…well, yeah, what strangers think (even stupid ones) does matter. > > IF Sean Connery had made it big as Herpes Joe in a national ad campain first, I suspect Bond would not have been the same… Some very famous actors have had some surprisingly low points in their careers. Witness [Leonard Nimoy’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC73PHdQX04). ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrasing-commercials-and-actors-pay/499568/22 "2009-06-13T22:10:41Z")
Ever notice that on movie review programs the reviewer says “the Actor X character” does something, not that Actor X does it. But no one is going to turn down a part (or even turn down an audition) for fear that some idiot identifies them with the role. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrasing-commercials-and-actors-pay/499568/23 "2009-06-13T22:15:19Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Ask Shatner and Nimoy how easy it was to get a job any time in the next 15 years after the original Star Trek ended production. They were all but unemployable. Really? From [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Nimoy) > [@](#): > > Following the cancellation of the original Star Trek, Nimoy immediately joined the cast of the spy series Mission: Impossible, which was seeking a replacement for Martin Landau. I don’t remember how long it took Shatner to get that cop show, but it wasn’t any 15 years. The actors playing the minor roles had a lot more trouble, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrasing-commercials-and-actors-pay/499568/24 "2009-06-14T00:08:48Z")
> [@trmatthe](#): > > I just don’t get it. Any ideas? Its lost in translation (double heh) ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrasing-commercials-and-actors-pay/499568/25 "2009-06-14T00:28:20Z")
> [@Patch](#): > > Don’t think I want to watch the toilet paper commercials. :eek: Those damned bears are as near as I wanna get. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrasing-commercials-and-actors-pay/499568/26 "2009-06-14T00:43:04Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > Those damned bears are as near as I wanna get. We were at the story the other day. The SO ask which TP to get. I say quite loudly something to the effect of “Well, I think we usually get XYZ because its much less likely to leave ass shrapenel” If I can keep this up a few more years, I might even get to skip these shopping excursions 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrasing-commercials-and-actors-pay/499568/27 "2009-06-14T00:59:04Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I don’t remember how long it took Shatner to get that cop show, but it wasn’t any 15 years. Actually, it was close to 15 years. Star Trek ended in 1969. TJ Hooker started in 1982, so that’s 13 years. He had guest starred in a lot of shows and made for tv movies in between, though, so he was working. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrasing-commercials-and-actors-pay/499568/28 "2009-06-14T06:44:04Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > We were at the story the other day. The SO ask which TP to get. I say quite loudly something to the effect of “Well, I think we usually get XYZ because its much less likely to leave ass shrapenel” > > If I can keep this up a few more years, I might even get to skip these shopping excursions 🙂 Ass shrapnel, what a refreshingly descriptive name. I sometimes wonder if some toilet paper manufacturers ever use their own product (here’s a hint guys, if you put ribs/ripples in the toilet paper, it may _look_ stronger, but it’s actually a whole lot weaker and prone to tearing and the aforementioned shrapnel/dags.) ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrasing-commercials-and-actors-pay/499568/29 "2009-06-14T17:06:50Z")
Search Youtube for the Comfort Wipe commercial. I can’t imagine any of the actors in that ad ever putting it on their resume. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrasing-commercials-and-actors-pay/499568/30 "2009-06-14T17:31:16Z")
When I was growing up, the father of a friend of mine was a working character actor and stunt man. He has a very good career but was never a big star. He would only do commercials as long as they weren’t shown in California. This was in the 70’s and youtube has changed things but back then, if it wasn’t shown where Hollywood types would see it, it wouldn’t have an adverse effect on his career. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrasing-commercials-and-actors-pay/499568/31 "2009-06-14T21:45:24Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > When I was growing up, the father of a friend of mine was a working character actor and stunt man. He has a very good career but was never a big star. He would only do commercials as long as they weren’t shown in California. This was in the 70’s and youtube has changed things but back then, if it wasn’t shown where Hollywood types would see it, it wouldn’t have an adverse effect on his career. Interesting. I’m only familiar with New York, where there was a ton of commercial work and relatively little legit work (as compared to LA). I guess someone making enough money might feel like doing ads would signal desperation. I’d guess that 75% of the calls my daughter went to, at least, were for commercials. ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrasing-commercials-and-actors-pay/499568/32 "2009-06-15T01:12:51Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > **Trom** ’s worry was not that such a commercial would hurt his professional prospects but that he would be teased by an ex-classmate and a barmaid. These seem to me to be two completely different things. I suggest that actors don’t take the latter kind of embarrassment into consideration. I don’t think that being an actor, by default, eliminates the nearly universal aversion to being exposed to public ridicule. You seem to be saying that this is of no concern whatsoever to commercial actors. You could be right! But, seeing how this is GQ I’d still be interested in some kind of cite/record of pay, if such a thing exists. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrasing-commercials-and-actors-pay/499568/33 "2009-06-15T06:17:03Z")
> [@Trom](#): > > I don’t think that being an actor, by default, eliminates the nearly universal aversion to being exposed to public ridicule. You seem to be saying that this is of no concern whatsoever to commercial actors. You could be right! But, seeing how this is GQ I’d still be interested in some kind of cite/record of pay, if such a thing exists. Back when my daughter was acting, I read the entire SAG contract, and saw nothing that would indicate they negotiated higher pay for “degrading” roles. When she joined SAG she filled out an extensive form with all possible skills listed, and this kind of thing didn’t come up. That doesn’t mean a manager couldn’t negotiate higher pay. But for your average commercial, there are plenty of people going to a call back, and I can’t imagine a production company who would pay more because the role could open someone to ridicule. If they did, word would quickly spread. I suspect any actor getting this kind of response (and I’m sure they do) would be less ashamed and more likely to consider the person who did it an idiot. It’s not like this is the only misunderstanding. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrasing-commercials-and-actors-pay/499568/34 "2009-06-15T14:38:48Z")
With the way economics works, this factor is basically built into the wage. Aside from that, what are the odds of James Bond NOT having herpes? I mean, come on, how much unprotected shagging does that guy do? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrasing-commercials-and-actors-pay/499568.md?page=1)