Tom Felton Made $14 Million Salary for 31 Minutes in the ‘Harry Potter’ Franchise
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint are usually the actors that come to mind when the Harry Potter franchise is mentioned. But several other young stars stand out. Naturally, all of the actors involved in the movies were compensated well. As for Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in all eight films, he earned a $14 million salary for just over 30 minutes of screen time.
Tom Felton played the villainous Draco Malfoy in the ‘Harry Potter’ movies
Tom Felton starred in the Harry Potter films as Draco Malfoy. Draco is a student in Harry’s year in the Slytherin house. He serves as a foil and a bully to Harry and is often accompanied by his two cronies, Vincent and Gregory. Draco’s MO is tricking and hurting people to get what he wants, but he is nonetheless a cunning user of magic.
The actor makes his first appearance in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Draco and his family believe that muggle-born wizards and witches shouldn’t be allowed to access magical education. His bigotry and intolerance shatter Harry’s impression of the wizarding community.
Draco undergoes significant character development throughout the series. And by the time the epilogue rolls around, he has decreased his animosity toward Harry. In the epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Draco briefly nods to Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione when they see each other at King’s Cross station, indicating they’re on OK terms. Felton portrayed the character in every film.
Tom Felton earned a $14 million salary for 8 ‘Harry Potter’ films
Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint were the Harry Potter franchise’s main stars. So they spent a lot of time on screen. However, Felton also became famous as one of the notable side characters, adding depth to the story. He managed to do so with little screen time.
According to BuzzFeed, Tom Felton appeared in 31 minutes throughout the eight Harry Potter films, securing a salary of $14 million over the decade he worked on the franchise. For comparison, the total of all eight films is 19 hours and 40 minutes. Meaning Felton appears on screen less than 3% of the time. In one film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, he appeared in just over a minute of the movie.
What’s more Felton apparently “squandered” the money he made in the franchise. “I bought a lot of rubbish things that kids buy,” he told the Daily Mail (via Express) in 2010. “I wasted a lot of money on cars.” He notes he had a “scary two years” where he “was really in trouble with the taxman.” The actor added, “I had been working for eight years and all I had to show for it was this horrible debt.”
What is Tom Felton’s net worth today?
Felton’s frugality and his acting gigs have helped him build up his wealth again. When the last installment in the Harry Potter franchise dropped, Felton had already gotten a part in the big-budget sequel Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
The star has since appeared in titles such as Apparition, Belle, From The Rough, Stratton, A United Kingdom, and A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting. He has also had success in TV, with his most prominent role on the small screen being historian Julian Albert/Doctor Alchemy in The Flash.
Felton is also a musician and owns an independent record label. He has been able to release several EPs through his label, Six String Productions. All his musical and acting efforts have resulted in a $20 million net worth.
