# So is television still considered a step down from film for actors? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 9, 2011, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726 "2011-09-09T15:41:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/21 "2011-09-09T17:23:49Z")
Yes, the top film stars make a lot of money, but the majority of actors are not getting those fat salaries of $10 million or more. I think the majority of actors, even well-known ones, get a million or less for a film role and for them, a TV role might be more lucrative. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/22 "2011-09-09T17:39:29Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > True, but with the exception of Matt Damon on _30 Rock_ (which amounts to a series of semi-regular guest shots), the shows you mention are all on cable where the usual broadcast network restrictions are either considerably less or non-existent. Aren’t both Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin – and, at that, even Tracy Morgan – fine examples of _30 Rock_ not getting in the way of big-screen work? (With bonus points to Fey for her recent role opposite Steve Carell?) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/23 "2011-09-09T17:40:37Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > As a counter-example to the thread’s premise, I suggest James Gandolfini’s success in TV was a step UP from the roles he had managed before _The Sopranos_. Those parts had paved the way for a convincing character like Tony and the writing and production quality of that series were at least on par with the better movies of the era. The fact that his movie roles since the series closed have been somewhat less than blockbuster caliber suggests that his TV career has been his high point. > > Coming up with similar career paths for others may be a challenge, but at least there’s Gandolfini. Using IMDb’s ratings as a measure, at least these guys have had better “success” in TV than in movies: > **[Advanced search](https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?role=nm0648249&sort=user_rating&explore=title_type)** Filmography by rating for Timothy Olyphant > **[Advanced search](https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?role=nm0491402&sort=user_rating&explore=title_type)** Filmography by rating for Hugh Laurie > **[Advanced search](https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?role=nm0048932&sort=user_rating&explore=title_type)** Filmography by rating for Simon Baker ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/24 "2011-09-09T17:45:39Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Yes, the top film stars make a lot of money, but the majority of actors are not getting those fat salaries of $10 million or more. I think the majority of actors, even well-known ones, get a million or less for a film role and for them, a TV role might be more lucrative. A TV role is lucrative for an actor if the show is successful but not if it flops. In fact, starring in a flop TV show can be especially harmful to the status of a movie actress like Zooey Deschanel as opposed to a regular working actor because it guarantees you’ll be in a career limbo of doing guest shots on other TV shows and considerably smaller roles in whatever movie will cast you. Shows like “Love American Style” and “The Love Boat” used to be filled with actors like these. I can’t think of any equivalent show like that on TV right now. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/25 "2011-09-09T17:50:20Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The gap is narrowing, but you can make far more money as a movie star, and work far less, than you can as a TV star. Anecdote: Genevieve Bujold was cast as Captain Janeway on _Star Trek: Voyager_. She quit the show after a single day’s filming (and was replaced by Kate Mulgrew), allegedly unhappy with the intense production schedule and media interview requests. ---
**Author:** ![monkeylucifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@monkeylucifer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monkeylucifer)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/26 "2011-09-09T17:53:13Z")
It varies from performer to performer. Some love to constantly work and like being able to be based in one location. Vincent D’Onofrio is one who leaps to mind in that respect. Also, some look at the potential of syndication and getting royalty checks instead of doing a few movies and getting just a lump sum and no points. On the other hand, some like to work just a few times a year and don’t worry about being away from their family, if they even have one. Going to work for a TV production no longer has the stigma that it used to in the industry. Many series have a budget for a season the size of a major blockbuster motion picture but the commitment is longer for the actors. Does anyone respect Martin Sheen less in the industry because he was on the West Wing? Absolutely not. The thing that matters isn’t that you are going to star on a TV show. The thing that matters is the quality of the show that you are going to be on. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/27 "2011-09-09T17:54:31Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > a flop TV show can be especially harmful to the status of a movie actress like Zooey Deschanel as opposed to a regular working actor because it guarantees you’ll be in a career limbo of doing guest shots on other TV shows and considerably smaller roles in whatever movie will cast you. She’s got an “in” to be corpse-of-the-week on Bones. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/28 "2011-09-09T18:09:49Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > A TV role is lucrative for an actor if the show is successful but not if it flops. In fact, starring in a flop TV show can be especially harmful to the status of a movie actress like Zooey Deschanel as opposed to a regular working actor because it guarantees you’ll be in a career limbo of doing guest shots on other TV shows and considerably smaller roles in whatever movie will cast you. Shows like “Love American Style” and “The Love Boat” used to be filled with actors like these. I can’t think of any equivalent show like that on TV right now. The crime procedural showsare a bit like that. It’s astounding how many people have NCIS, CSI or Criminal Minds on their CV. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/29 "2011-09-09T18:15:03Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > She’s got an “in” to be corpse-of-the-week on Bones. “Hey, Bones, this here dead body kind of looks like you… only prettier!” ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/30 "2011-09-09T18:30:57Z")
Sean Bean has a pretty good film career, and I don’t think anyone would consider **Game of Thrones** a step down. ---
**Author:** ![vislor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vislor/32/5933_2.png) [@vislor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vislor)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/31 "2011-09-09T19:09:42Z")
Actually, I think TV _is_ a “regular” job. Sarah Michelle Gellar was talking in EW about her newest show and she took it only after CBS agreed that she would be home for supper each night to see her family. She was also surprised because after Buffy, she expected deep movie roles. Um, what? TV is a lot deeper than a single movie will ever be. I suppose that could be me but I doubt it. I do think the gap between TV stars and Movie Stars has lessened a lot and where you didn’t see them cross over, now they do and it’s no big deal. However, I do agree that being a Movie Star is seen as more prestigious than a TV Star. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/32 "2011-09-09T19:11:38Z")
> [@monkeylucifer](#): > > Does anyone respect Martin Sheen less in the industry because he was on the West Wing? Absolutely not. The thing that matters isn’t that you are going to star on a TV show. The thing that matters is the quality of the show that you are going to be on. Martin Sheen’s role in “West Wing” was a considerable step up in terms of his career. At the time he accepted it, he was reduced to taking movie roles Dennis Hopper rejected (e.g., **Spawn** ). [QUOTE=SciFiSam] The crime procedural showsare a bit like that. It’s astounding how many people have NCIS, CSI or Criminal Minds on their CV. [/QUOTE] Don’t they basically use the same pool of actors and just recast them in different roles? That’s different then the days of “Love Boat” and “Fantasy Island” which, beyond the regular cast, was often populated by “has-beens of the week.” ---
**Author:** ![vislor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vislor/32/5933_2.png) [@vislor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vislor)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/33 "2011-09-09T19:11:51Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > “Hey, Bones, this here dead body kind of looks like you… only prettier!” I also don’t get it when Bones as a character says she’s hot. I don’t know why, but recently Emily has not looked good to me. Pretty but not hot. And recently, her voice has been turning me off both the character and actor. Her sister, is better looking but I can’t stand her acting style. I think Tin Man was one of the few things I have seen her in that was okay, and even then I cringed at some scenes. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/34 "2011-09-09T19:26:41Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Aren’t both Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin – and, at that, even Tracy Morgan – fine examples of _30 Rock_ not getting in the way of big-screen work? (With bonus points to Fey for her recent role opposite Steve Carell?) _30 Rock_ poked fun at this, actually. Morgan’s character wanted off the ‘A-list’, so reappeared on the show within the show. They cut to Tom Hanks (_Bosom Buddies_ who calls, [well, just watch the clip](http://www.tomhanks-online.com/media/video/detail/440/30-rock/). I took it as poking at least some fun at former A-lister Baldwin. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/35 "2011-09-09T19:42:48Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Don’t they basically use the same pool of actors and just recast them in different roles? That’s different then the days of “Love Boat” and “Fantasy Island” which, beyond the regular cast, was often populated by “has-beens of the week.” They very, very rarely recast the same actor in the same show, and a lot of the same actors are in all the different crime shows, but some quite big actors take guest roles too. ---
**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:** [September 9, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/36 "2011-09-09T19:43:19Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Yes, the top film stars make a lot of money, but the majority of actors are not getting those fat salaries of $10 million or more. I think the majority of actors, even well-known ones, get a million or less for a film role and for them, a TV role might be more lucrative. By majority I assume you mean 99% The majority of actors are happy to get any job, legit or commercials or industrials, with a series that might get rerun and thus provide residuals really good. And, as mentioned, the type of series or movie is important. John Goodman probably gets more cred for being in **Treme** than for being in **True Lies.** Big budget high prestige film work is one thing, or low budget indie work, but Jaws 17, not so much. For really top stars, I don’t think things are very different. John Wayne refused Gunsmoke. Do you think George Clooney or Ton Hanks would go back to TV today? ---
**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:** [September 9, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/37 "2011-09-09T19:49:09Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > A TV role is lucrative for an actor if the show is successful but not if it flops. In fact, starring in a flop TV show can be especially harmful to the status of a movie actress like Zooey Deschanel as opposed to a regular working actor because it guarantees you’ll be in a career limbo of doing guest shots on other TV shows and considerably smaller roles in whatever movie will cast you. Shows like “Love American Style” and “The Love Boat” used to be filled with actors like these. I can’t think of any equivalent show like that on TV right now. This is true of movies also. If you consistently fail to open movies you are going to find the roles you get offered suffer. There are lots of other factors in TV shows, like when it is scheduled and who the creator is, so I’d guess that one or two flops isn’t that big a problem. And no one is going hungry in lead roles on TV (though it is more work) either, even if you aren’t in **Friends** territory in terms of pay. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/38 "2011-09-09T22:59:11Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > This is true of movies also. If you consistently fail to open movies you are going to find the roles you get offered suffer. Yeah, but starring in flop movie is still considered to have more cachet than starring in a flop TV series. Getting back to Zooey Deschanel, the fact that she’s still young and has some cred as an “indie princess” makes her doing a broadcast network sitcom, at best, a horizontal career move. As Bridget Burke mentioned earlier in this thread, usually an actress who has had some success in movies won’t consider doing a TV series until they’re in their 40s because the roles offered to someone in that age range are often better than what’s being offered in film. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/39 "2011-09-09T23:17:56Z")
Christina Ricci is starring in a series about airline stewardesses. Is she an A-lister? I have no idea who is and is not. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726/40 "2011-09-09T23:20:24Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > …John Goodman probably gets more cred for being in **Treme** than for being in **True Lies.** … I hope so. John Goodman wasn’t in _True Lies_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-television-still-considered-a-step-down-from-film-for-actors/595726.md?page=3)