As much as actors like to place their craft at the forefront of their decision-making process, at the end of the day, everyone has bills that need to be paid. He may have spent decades as one of the biggest draws in Hollywood, but even John Wayne wasn’t above taking a paycheque gig on occasion.
For the most part, though, ‘The Duke’ called his own shots and wrote his own ticket. His status in the industry and proven ability to put butts in seats had made him a valuable commodity that every major studio in town would kill to have leading one of their pictures, but that constant desire to bet on himself and the John Wayne brand as bulletproof guarantees of success caused a problem or two.
Most notably, Wayne funnelled a lot of his own personal wealth into funding the production of The Alamo, a risky gambit that had the potential to backfire spectacularly. He didn’t even want to play a role in his directorial debut, but after realising his financial partners would be a lot more willing to get involved if he did, he ended up taking the lead role.
The historical epic was a box office hit that recouped its budget and then some, won an Academy Award for ‘Best Original Song’ and scooped another six nominations, including ‘Best Picture’. However, Wayne hardly saw any of those profits after selling the rights to United Artists, which hit him hard in the pocket.
Two years later, Wayne boarded the ridiculously stacked ensemble of the 1962 war story The Longest Day, joining a cavalcade of heavy hitters that included Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery, Richard Burton, Rod Steiger, Henry Fonda, George Segal, and more. He only worked on the picture for four days, which was enough to earn him a substantial pay packet.
“I wanted to do the film because I thought it was an important picture,” ‘The Duke’ told Michael Munn, which was only half true. In reality, producer Daryl F Zanuck had reached out to gauge Wayne’s interest in joining the film, which gave him a great, greedy, and spiteful idea. Zanuck had previously lambasted the increase in actors founding their own production companies, singling out The Alamo as an example after it made money but barely any for its leading man, producer, and director.
“I wanted Zanuck to pay for what he’s said about me directing The Alamo,” Wayne continued, finally revealing his genuine motivations for singing on for The Longest Day. “He paid all right, to the tune of $250,000. He got his money’s worth anyway.”
For comparison’s sake, ‘The Duke’ was paid ten times more than anybody else in the ensemble, making an absolute killing for spending a few days on set, taking Zanuck’s criticism of The Alamo on the chin, and laughing all the way to the bank with it.