Stars of huge 90s horror claim they were barely paid despite film making $250,000,000-Lillie Rohan-Entertainment – Metro

Joshua Leonard is one of the three actors in The Blair Witch Project (Picture: Moviestore/Rex/Shutterstock)

When a film earns $100 million (£78.9m) at the box office, you would assume the lead actors receive a healthy percentage of the sum.

For the stars of The Blair Witch Project, it reportedly couldn’t be further from the truth. 

The film first hit cinemas in 1999 and follows the fictional story of three student filmmakers – played by Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams and Joshua Leonard – who venture into the woods in Maryland and film a documentary about the Blair Witch. 

In the film, written and directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, the three students are never seen again, but their camera equipment is, and the footage found makes up the film. 

Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in 1999, the 81-minute production was quickly picked up by Artisan Entertainment for $1.1m (£870,000) and went on to gross $248m (£195.9m) worldwide.

Two sequels, one in 2016 and another currently in production, followed. 

Now, 25 years after its release, Donahue, Williams, and Leonard claimed in a recent interview with Variety that despite creating one of horror’s most well-known classics, they are yet to see the rewards of their work.

Heather and her two co-stars are seeking compensation for the horror classic (Picture: Moviestore/Rex/Shutterstock)

Recalling their time after creating the film – in which they were trained how to operate camera equipment, given a series of story prompts and dropped in the woods to improvise – the trio claim they were told to lay low and, more or less, act as though they had nothing to do with it. 

The instructions were allegedly given to them by Artisan in an effort to create an illusion that the footage was, in fact, a true story and that the trio really had disappeared without a trace. 

Donahue claimed that in the months after the film had been purchased by the production company (which Lionsgate later acquired), his publicist was barred from making any bookings for the star.

Leonard’s allegations were similar in that he was prevented from taking a role in an independent film as he wasn’t supposed to be alive. 

Deciding to oblige by the company’s request to keep the mystery alive, the trio claimed they thought it would be for the greater good as they had given so much to the film. However, when it reached the $100m (£78.9m) mark at the US box office, they were reportedly disappointed and angry to learn their only thanks would be a fruit basket. 

The film is one of horror’s most recognisable titles (Picture: Moviestore/Rex/Shutterstock)

The film has had one sequel and another is in the works (Picture: Moviestore/Rex/Shutterstock)

‘That was when it became clear that, wow, we were not going to get anything,’ Donahue told Variety. ‘We were being cut out of something that we were intimately involved with creating.’

Prior to allegedly receiving a fruit basket, the New York Times further reported that when the trio filmed the horror, they were compensated for two weeks of work. Donahue claimed in an email to the outlet that she was paid $1,000 (£789.92). It is unclear whether Leonard and Williams were paid the same amount. 

In addition to the initial payment, Leonard stated in an Instagram post on April 11 that the trio were paid a further $300,000 (£236,976) each in lieu of residual payments. 

Speaking to the NYT, Domenic Romano, a New York City-based entertainment lawyer, stated the actors are unlikely to receive further compensation as they are effectively trying to ‘renegotiate’ their initial deal. 

‘The studio took the risk in acquiring it, paying them a set amount, and they could have shared the risk with the studio,’ Romano said. ‘Instead, they did not at the time of sale.’

He added: ‘They’re trying to renegotiate the deal after the fact.’

Joshua and his fellow castmates, released an open letter to Lionsgate (Picture: Moviestore/Rex/Shutterstock)

The impact of their exclusion from the success of the film has been felt hard by the trio. While speaking to Variety, Williams reportedly teared up recalling how he and his wife can’t afford groceries. 

‘I’m embarrassed that I let this happen to me,’ he said. ‘You’re in the most successful independent movie of all time, and you can’t take care of your loved ones.’

‘Giant corporations don’t care that this happens to young artists. It’s bulls***,’ he added. ‘And that’s got to change somehow.’

Now, amid news the film is undergoing a ‘reboot’ that will allow it to be introduced to a new generation, Donahue, Williams, and Leonard released an open letter to Lionsgate on April 20, asking for ‘meaningful consultation’ on future related projects.

The actors are disappointed in their lack of compensation (Picture: Lionsgate)

The trio of actors said in the letter: ‘Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective.

‘Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team.

‘As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love and want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far unutilized secret-weapon!’

They have also started working with SAG-AFTRA, who are reportedly in contact with the production company and seeking a compensation settlement for the actors. 

Film directors Myrick and Sánchez and producers Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie and Michael Monello declined Variety’s request for comment on the story due to their own financial settlement agreements.

The Blair Witch Project is one of horror’s most recognisable titles (Picture: Artisan Pics/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock)

Michael and his castmates received little to no compensation for the film (Picture: Moviestore/Rex/Shutterstock)

They did, however, release a joint statement on the 25th anniversary, in which they said, ’25 years later, who would have thought we’d still be talking about The Blair Witch Project, a film made by a group of total Hollywood outsiders?

‘We’re hopeful Heather, Joshua and Mike find a satisfying conclusion to their conversations with Lionsgate. For us, this anniversary provides an exciting opportunity to celebrate the movie and its legacy with fans.’

Artisan Entertainment could not be reached by Variety for comment.

Lionsgate declined to comment to both the publication and Metro.co.uk in regards to the claims.

In addition to seeking compensation for their work on The Blair Witch Project, the news outlet reported that Donahue contacted Lionsgate on a separate matter after her scream was used without authorisation in the 2022 film Tár.

Lionsgate reportedly sought their own settlement without the actress, leaving Donahue no choice but to take on yet another compensation battle with Focus Features, who released the Cate Blanchett-helmed film.

A representative for the production company declined Variety’s request for comment.

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