The ‘Big Little Lies’ Cast Is Making Big Bucks for Season 2

With stars like Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep, it’s no wonder why the Big Little Lies cast salary for 2019 and season 2 is as big as it is. After the success of season 1, the Big Little Lies cast—which also includes Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern and Zoë Kravitz—will see a huge pay raise for season 2, which is set to debut in June on HBO. We don’t know what it will be about, but from fan clues and online teasers, it will follow the Monterey moms as they cover up Perry’s death and deal with Mary Louise Wright, Perry’s mom (played by Meryl Streep), who has come to town to uncover the truth about her murdered son. (Check out the fan theories we’ve found about the next season.)

But back to how much the actors make. According to Casey Bloys, president of programming at HBO, the women of Big Little Lies have received significant pay raises from season 1 to season 2 after the network saw the success of season 1 and the actresses fought for higher pay. “Whatever anybody was paid was 100 percent earned and well worth it. This show was a giant hit for us and for the industry,” Bloys told The Hollywood Reporter. Find out the massive numbers the Big Little Lies cast makes ahead.

Reese Witherspoon (Madeline Martha Mackenzie)

Season 1 salary: $250,000 per episode

Season 2 salary: $1 million per episode

Net worth: $150 million

Witherspoon, who plays Madeline Martha Mackenzie, used the success of season 1 to her advantage to quadruple her pay for season 2. According to The Hollywood Reporter, her salary went from $250,000 an episode for season 1 to a $1 million an episode for season 2, and that isn’t including bonuses she will receive on the backend as an executive producer. Witherspoon’s pay raise is in part to her recent deal with Apple, which will pay her and Jennifer Aniston $1.25 million each to executive produce and star in The Morning Show, the services upcoming morning-show drama. Along with Big Little Lies and her upcoming Apple show, Witherspoon’s $150 million net worth, according to Celebrity Net Worth, comes from recent movies like A Wrinkle in Time and Home Again, as well as her production company, Hello Sunshine, and clothing company, Draper James. The Oscar probably doesn’t help either.

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Nicole Kidman (Celeste Wright)

Season 1 salary: $350,000 per episode

Season 2 salary: $1 million per episode

Net worth: $130 million

Kidman, who won an Emmy and Golden Globe for her role as Celeste Wright, will earn $1 million per episode for Big Little Lies season 2, plus backend bonuses as an executive producer, according to THR. The salary will be an almost-three-times raise from her $350,000-per-episode pay for season 1. Kidman’s raise came after Big Little Lies‘ critical and commercial success, as well as Witherspoon’s $1.25 million deal with Apple, which allowed her to negotiate on her and her co-executive producer Kidman’s behalf. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Kidman is worth $130 million, with recent films like Aquaman, Boy Erased and The Upside. Kidman, who has won an Oscar, is also the owner of the production company Blossom Films, and has been the face of Jimmy Choo and Chanel.

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Meryl Streep (Mary Louise Wright)

Season 1 salary: N/A

Season 2 salary: $800,000 per episode

Streep will star as Mary Louise Wright, Perry’s mother, in Big Little Lies season 2, and her salary will be an impressive $800,000 per episode, according to Variety. Streep’s salary will only be $200,000 per episode less than that of Witherspoon and Kidman, and it makes sense. The three-time Oscar winner has starred in dozens of films, and has a $90 million net worth, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Her recent films include Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Mary Poppins Returns and Little Women. Big Little Lies will be her first TV show as a series regular in decades.

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Shailene Woodley (Jane Chapman)

Season 1 salary: ~$242,000 per episode

Season 2 salary: $300,000 to $500,000 per episode

Net worth: $9 million

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Woodley, who plays Jane Chapman, earned $1.7 million for season 1 of Big Little Lies, which amounts to around $242,000 per episode. Though it hasn’t been confirmed with Woodley is making for season 2, THR reports that actress saw a “sizable pay raise”, with Cheat Sheet estimating that Woodley will earn between $300,000 to $500,000 per episode based on her previous salary and the salary of her costars. The Cheat Sheet estimates that the salary closer to the $500,000 end. Woodley, who earned Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her role in the HBO show, has a net worth of $9 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Along with Big Little Lies, Woodley’s recent films include Adrift, Snowden and The Divergent series. 

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Zoë Kravitz (Bonnie Carlson)

Season 1 salary: ~$54,000 per episode

Season 2 salary: ~$428,000 per episode

Net worth: $8 million

Kravitz, who plays Bonnie Carlson, saw a huge pay raise from season of Big Little Lies to season 2. According to THR, Kravitz was paid only $380,000 (or $54,000 per episode) for season 1. For season 2, that salary has been raised to $3 million, which means that if the second season has seven episodes like the first, Kravitz will be paid around $428,000 per episode—almost eight times what she was paid in season. Fans have also theorized that Kravitz will have a bigger role in season 2, based on her not-yet-explored storyline in the books. Per Celebrity Net Worth, her net worth is $8 million. Kravitz’s recent film include Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Rough Night. She was also featured on Janelle Monáe’s song “Screwed” off Dirty Computer and has been the face of Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga.

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Laura Dern (Renata Klein)

Season 1 salary: Unknown

Season 2 salary: Unknown

Not much as been reported about Dern’s salaries on Big Little Lies. Dern, who plays Renata Klein, earned an Emmy and Golden Globe for her performance in the HBO show. Because of where she was billed in the show for season 1, we estimate her season 1 salary to be somewhere in between Woodley and Kravitz’s. However, after Dern’s award wins and the mega pay raise of pretty much the entire cast, we predict that will also see a significant salary bump for season 2, somewhere in between $300,000 to $500,000 per episode. Per Celebrity Net Worth, Dern is worth $20 million. Her recent roles include Little Women, Twin Peaks and Cold Pursuit.

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