Tim Allen’s The Santa Clause co-star David Krumholtz has joined the growing chorus of actors pulling back the curtain on Hollywood’s surprisingly tiny residual checks.
The actor, 48, who played fan-favorite head elf Bernard in the beloved 1994 holiday blockbuster, revealed that despite the film’s enduring popularity, the payments he receives today are far from magical.
In fact, the Oppenheimer star says the movie’s status as a Christmas staple may actually be part of the problem.
According to Krumholtz, residual payments shrink over time on a sliding scale each time a movie airs – a reality that has left fans stunned, given The Santa Clause remains a fixture of the festive season more than 30 years after its release.
‘They’re minimal because the movie plays so much,’ he explained to Page Six. ‘This is how residuals work: every time it plays, you make less. It’s a graded scale.’
Krumholtz recalled that when he first started receiving residuals from The Santa Clause, ‘it was good’.
Tim Allen’s The Santa Clause co-star David Krumholtz has joined the growing chorus of actors pulling back the curtain on Hollywood’s surprisingly tiny residual checks
The actor, 48, who played fan-favorite head elf Bernard in the beloved 1994 holiday blockbuster, revealed that despite the film’s enduring popularity, the payments he receives today are far from magical; Above, in March
Fast forward to today, and he estimates the holiday franchise now brings in a festive ‘$150 a year.’
As one surprised fan put it simply, ‘Ohh wow!’
However, others were less sympathetic, with one writing, ‘Most people get paid only once for the work they do anyway.’
Another added more bluntly, ‘Good. Nobody should be paid forever for doing something once.’
The actor, whose career stretches from 10 Things I Hate About You to the Harold & Kumar films and the TV hit Numb3rs, revealed that his biggest residuals these days actually come from Oppenheimer.
But when asked exactly how much, he feigned outrage.‘That’s none of your business! What kind of question is that?’ he joked.
Eventually, he said coyly: ‘It’s $12.73. Just enough for a hot dog in New York.’
He’s far from alone in facing the reality of paper-thin Hollywood payouts.
Krumholtz estimates the holiday franchise now brings in a festive ‘$150 a year’
10 Things I Hate About You heartthrob Andrew Keegan recently joked that some of his residual checks are worth just one cent – so little that mailing them likely costs more than the payout itself.
Former child star Danny Pintauro, best known for Who’s The Boss?, shared a similarly bleak reality, revealing he receives only ‘five to six cents per episode’ from reruns.
Meanwhile, Full House alum Jodie Sweetin once disclosed that she was sent a residual payment for a grand total of one penny.
And veteran sitcom star Ted McGinley – whose lengthy resume includes Happy Days, The Love Boat and Married… with Children – admitted he has accumulated an entire stack of one-cent checks over the years.
He explained that residuals ‘step down, eventually, it doesn’t become that much.’
Nevertheless, his decades-long career across the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s means that ‘I’ve been getting residuals all the time.’
McGinley admitted he doesn’t bother cashing in the penny checks, though he isn’t above depositing slightly larger ones.
‘I’d say about $2,’ he said with a laugh, estimating the smallest amount he’ll cash.
The actor, whose career stretches from 10 Things I Hate About You to the Harold & Kumar films and the TV hit Numb3rs, revealed that his biggest residuals these days actually come from Oppenheimer
‘$1.89, it’s going in!’ he added.
The reveal also comes after Lisa Kudrow left fans stunned after revealing the eye-watering sums she and her Friends co-stars still pocket every year in residuals.
Kudrow, who played the eccentric Phoebe Buffay throughout the show’s ten-season run from 1994 to 2004, starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and the late Matthew Perry.
The cast famously negotiated their salaries together, skyrocketing from $22,500 per episode in the first season to a staggering $1million each by the final two seasons.
They later reunited for a one-off special on HBO Max in 2021, reportedly earning a cool $2.5million apiece for the nostalgic return.
But according to Kudrow, even those astonishing paydays pale in comparison to the steady stream of income the cast continues to receive from the show’s global syndication.
Speaking to The Times, the actress, 62, who is currently starring in a new season of The Comeback, revealed the cast still rake in an astonishing $20million a year in residuals.
In the same interview, Kudrow reflected on why the series continues to generate such enormous residual income, suggesting its enduring success is more than justified.
‘After Matthew died I watched the show again. Before, I only saw what I did wrong or could have done better, but for the first time I truly appreciated just how great it was,’ Kudrow explained, referencing the tragic passing of Perry, who died on October 28, 2023, at the age of 54 from the acute effects of ketamine.
‘Because there was a genius at work. And whatever any of us do in the future, we will never experience something like that again.’
She added, ‘I felt I did OK, but Jennifer and Courteney? Amazing. David and Matt? They had me laughing so hard. And then Matthew – he was just beyond us all.’
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