*Morris Chestnut once received an offer of $1,500 a week for an acting role that required him to say little more than hello. The opportunity came from NBC’s “A Different World,” but the part disappeared before he could collect the money.
The 57-year-old actor revisited the experience during an October appearance on the “R&B Money” podcast. At the time, Chestnut was beginning his acting career and had recently secured an agent.
He auditioned to play a cafeteria worker who greeted female students at the food counter. The assignment was simple, but the potential earnings were anything but ordinary for a newcomer.
Chestnut recalled his agent explaining the proposed compensation. Hearing the amount immediately changed his perspective on the entertainment business.
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“They said, ‘If you do the job, it’s going to pay $1500 per week,'” Chestnut recalled, according to PEOPLE. The figure left him wondering what the sitcom’s stars were earning.
“Wait a minute, so if I’m saying hi for $1500, what is Dwayne Wayne getting? What is Whitley Gilbert getting?” he said.
Those characters, played by Kadeem Hardison and Jasmine Guy, were among the show’s most recognizable personalities. Chestnut began imagining the financial possibilities of building a successful television career.
Unfortunately, his first opportunity with the sitcom ended before it began. The production eliminated the character, leaving Chestnut without the job or the anticipated paycheck.
“They wrote that role out, so I did not get that. Then I just started auditioning,” he explained.
Although the sitcom never became part of Chestnut’s acting résumé, his persistence eventually paid off. He gained widespread recognition as Ricky Baker in John Singleton’s 1991 film “Boyz n the Hood.”
Chestnut subsequently built a career that includes “The Best Man,” “The Brothers,” “Two Can Play That Game” and “Think Like a Man.”
Watch Morris Chestnut’s podcast interview below.
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