Producers and directors complain: Actors' per-episode earnings are eye-watering

The acting fees of well-known figures, referred to as "celebrities" in Turkey, are on the agenda in the art world... It is claimed that the fees, known as "cachet," for actors considered "names that will drive viewership" are approaching 2 million TL per episode in TV series, with some actors exceeding 3 million TL.

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Producers and directors complain: Actors' per-episode earnings are eye-watering

In Turkey, the acting fees of well-known figures, referred to as "celebrities," are on the agenda of the art world... It is claimed that the fees, known as "cachet," for actors described as "names that will make the production watchable" are close to 2 million per episode in TV series, with some names exceeding 3 million. It is also rumored that these same names receive double the fee for feature films, along with additional income such as box office shares.

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According to a report by Murat Öztekin from Türkiye Gazetesi, Turkish directors believe that local actors demand excessively high fees compared to the total budgets of the productions they star in. One of them, Ahmet Sönmez, argues that acting fees exceed 50 percent of the total series and film budget.

Sönmez stated, "Our technical team, equipment, and production costs are fixed. However, there is a major imbalance in actor fees. Even the producer of one of Turkey's highest-budget films says they are losing money. Producers are now making agreements with TV channels by saying, 'You pay the actor budget.' The reason for this is the high acting fees."

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Director Sönmez states, “In Turkey, there is a huge gap between the available budget and actor salaries. Unfortunately, actors generally do not make concessions. Worldwide, the actor budget is usually around 30 percent of the total budget. In Turkey, however, this figure can exceed 50 percent.”

Stating that “this imbalance has become unsustainable,” Sönmez continues:

“In Turkey, the focus is not on the content of productions because of dealing with acting fees. There is a decline in the quality and number of series. Some TV channels are now broadcasting series on fewer days. Although it has not been announced yet, it is known that Turkey, which ranks second in the world in series exports, has fallen to fourth place this year. It seems to me that we will hit rock bottom as well.”

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Director Murat Çeri says, "In Turkey, even the price of bread is determined by everyone as they please. Naturally, there is no limit to the fees of famous actors who are said to make a film worth watching. This situation is partly due to digital platforms that paid high fees to actors two years ago without having them do any work. It is impossible to fight against this," he says.

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