*Angela Bassett and the series regulars on Fox’s hit drama “9-1-1” have secured pay increases ahead of Season 5.
Here’s more from Deadline:
Series star Angela Bassett led the way with a major bump that I hear takes her to north of $450,000 an episode. That is believed to be among the top salaries on network television for any actor — male or female — and could be the highest ever for an actress of color on a broadcast drama series.
9-1-1‘s male lead, Peter Krause, after a 25% raise, commands the second biggest check on the show, believed to be in the low $300K per episode range. He is followed by Jennifer Love Hewitt. The rest of the cast, including original cast members Aisha Hinds, Rockmond Dunbar, Kenneth Choi and Oliver Stark are believed to be all getting a 25% raise to about $80,000 an episode next season and are projected to go up to $100,000 an episode in Season 6.
READ MORE: Angela Bassett Talks ‘9-1-1’ Character and Her Infamous 3 Breasts on ‘AHS’
She’s an ICON, she’s a LEGEND, and she is THE MOMENT.
????: @ImAngelaBassett pic.twitter.com/jF4ndBfQvT
— FOX (@FOXTV) July 17, 2021
The website for “9-1-1″ says the series is based on “the real-life, high-pressure experiences of emergency response providers,” but Bassett’s character was created just for the show. Series creator Ryan Murphy previously told the New York Post that the cases depicted on the show come from actual 9-1-1 calls, but that he chose Bassett as the main character because of her acting skills, per Bustle.
“I like her when she’s emotional and I love it when she takes charge. Putting her in a family drama along with a workplace drama merges those two things into one superstar package,” Murphy said.
Bassett, who starred in four seasons of Mur[hy’s “American Horror Story,” stars as Detective Athena Grant on the procedural, and as noted by the New York Post, she deals with a wide variety of emergencies on the show.
When asked what it’s like to wear a cop uniform, Bassett explained; “The guns and belts are extremely heavy and awkward. The polyester tailored shirt is tucked in a little bit, which makes it a little more constricting. It may be a cop uniform, but it’s a Ryan Murphy show so it looks good.”
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