You’ll Be Stupefied to Learn How Much Money Harry Potter Background Actress Made on the Movies

Slytherin to the chamber of secrets for this paycheck confession.

English actress Samantha Clinch recently shared how much she got paid for her background work in the Harry Potter films, before she made the jump to her speaking role as Eloise Midgen in The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Goblet of Fire.

"For context, in The Goblet of Fire, Daniel Radcliffe got paid $11 million—that's 9 and a half million pounds," she alleged in an Oct. 1 TikTok video. "Now, for context, we would do 12 hour days. Big 12 hour days."

As for what those days looked like? "We would be called for breakfast to be in the holding area outside set for 5:30 a.m. in the morning," she shared. "Then be leaving at rush hour and be on the bus in like heavy, heavy traffic." 

She then dropped the bombshell, saying she was paid 35 pounds a day, which translates to roughly $43, as a background actor. "That's 2.5 pounds an hour," she said. "That's chaos." 

And after she scored the role of Eloise in the third movie, Samantha recalled the pay increase that may not have been the sorcery she was expecting.  

"It was a big jump. A big jump in cash," she joked. "When I became Midgen, honestly, little did I know that day when I was going to set, how the day would change for me and my bank account."

She revealed she earned 70 pounds a day, noting, "They just doubled it." 

All jokes aside, Samantha—pointing to a scene of the kids of Harry Potter eating in the great hall—noted, "In the grand scheme of things, getting paid 2.91 an hour isn't that bad when there's this constant stream of food."

She added, "It's pretty all inclusive. Seriously the amount of square bars and ice buns we'd go through—15 pound a day minimum."

But what Samantha spent her earnings on as a teen will have some followers saying accio perfume.

"OK, it's the weekend, I'm going to Fenwick's with my paycheck, what do I buy? Of course. Incredible," she gushed as a Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Eau de Parfum bottle appeared on the screen behind her. "Nostalgia in a bottle. Takes me back."

To see more Harry Potter stars then and now, click here.