There are snootier elements of the industry who deem any actor to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as doing nothing but chasing an easy paycheck, and while that may or may not be true in certain cases, it’s hard to argue that anybody has it easier than Vin Diesel.
Not only has he never physically set foot on a Guardians of the Galaxy set despite voicing Groot for close to a decade, but his entire contribution to the franchise focuses entirely on saying the same three words over and over and over again. Given his status and star power, the Fast & Furious patriarch won’t be working for pennies, but reports of his inflated earnings have been swiftly shot down by James Gunn.
It’s hard to quantify who would be the highest-paid member of the Guardians ensemble – although you’d imagine it to be Chris Pratt given that he takes top billing and has a proven track record as a certifiable box office draw – but anyone who thinks that Diesel has been pocketing quite frankly obscene sums of cash to say “I am Groot” in perpetuity is sorely mistaken.
To be honest, it seemed a little hard to believe given that his contributions could generously be described as minimal, even if he has been a key part of the team since the very beginning. Then again, anyone who could potentially earn $13 million a pop each time they step into the recording booth for a few hours at a time probably deserves it for the sole purpose of convincing anyone that it was worth the investment.
