Meryl Streep's Net Worth Is So Big, She Once Donated an Entire Movie Salary Because She...Just Didn't Need It

Mehera Bonner
·4 min read
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84th annual academy awards press room
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At this point in her career, all Meryl Streep has to do is show up on set and she'll pretty much be guaranteed an Oscar nomination—so yeah, studios pay her a lot of money per movie. And now that she's made the pivot to prestige television, Meryl's net worth is rising even harder, better, faster, and stronger than we were all prepared for.

Like, can only assume she was paid at least $500,000 just for this scene in Big Little Lies:

Unlike a lot of actors whose per-project-pay is kept strictly under wraps, we actually know a lot about the checks Meryl is cashing for her work on screen. And I think it goes without saying that she is not out here influencing, so acting most definitely *is* her primary source of income.

Before we get into it, I'd like to take a moment to quote Mamma Mia and say: "Money, money, money. Must be funny. In the rich man's world." And if you thought we were gonna move on without me making us listen to the song, you're sorely mistaken.

Meryl Streep Earned So Much for Big Little Lies

Specifically, $800,000 per episode, according to Variety—just a couple hundred thousand shy of the million dollars per episode the show's leading actors/producers were making.

And Is Likely Earning a Lot for Only Murders in the Building

Meryl's exact salary rudely hasn't been revealed (Selena Gomez, answer my DMs!), but it seems reasonable to assume it's around the $800,000 per episode she got for Big Little Lies. Like, very much doubt Meryl's rate is going down at this point in her career, and we know Hulu has cash to throw around! It also could also be more than $800,000 considering that back in 2016, The Hollywood Reporter said Meryl was getting paid $850,000 an episode to star in J.J. Abrams' since-shelved-I-assume The Nix.

There Are Rumors She Got $3 Million for Mamma Mia 2

Which, to be clear, she was barely in. Apparently Meryl doesn't do sequels, but she agreed to spend five minutes on screen for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. There are rumors that those 5 minutes cost the studio $3 million.

She Was One of the Highest Paid Actresses of 2022

Meryl made $24 million in 2022, and Forbes'reporting gives some insight into her per-project rate. According to the outlet, she got $5 million for Steven Soderbergh's Let Them All Talk. Then "the rest" of that money (so $21 million) came from The Prom and Little Women. Seems like the majority of the money is thanks to The Prom, though, which earned her an "eight figure check."

But Meryl Had to Negotiate Her Devil Wears Prada Salary

How much did Meryl Streep earn for The Devil Wears Prada? According to Celebrity Net Worth, a hefty $5 million—but she had to do some salary negotiating first.

“The offer was to my mind slightly, if not insulting, not perhaps reflective of my actual value to the project,” she told Variety. “There was my ‘goodbye moment,’ and then they doubled the offer. I was 55, and I had just learned, at a very late date, how to deal on my own behalf.”

The movie cost $41 million and grossed $326 million, so yeah, Meryl's rate was worth it.

Some of Meryl's Major Movie Salary Highlights?

She Has Some Money Tied Up in Real Estate

Celebrity Net Worth reports that Meryl and her husband Don Gummer sold several apartments in New York City (one for as high as $16 million) and have a $3.6 million home in Pasadena, California, as well as a country home in Connecticut.

So, What Is Meryl Streep's Total Net Worth?

Thanks for asking, that would be a reported $160 million. 😅

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