Jon Hamm declined to take 60% of his agreed wages for his new crime comedy movie Confess, Fletch. The movie is a follow-up to the ’80s movies Fletch, and Fletch Lives which were both starred Chevy Chase.
The movie, directed by Greg Mottola and starring Jon Hamm, Kyle MacLachlan, and Mad Men co-star John Slatterly, is an attempt to reignite the Fletch movie series after decades of dormancy. Hamm has taken over the lead role, playing Chase’s character from the earlier movies.
However Confess, Fletch, which has had a limited theatrical release and will soon be available on streaming services, struggled to muster financial backing, and has also suffered from a near-non-existent advertising campaign, despite its sizable budget.
Now, speaking to Uproxx, Greg Mottola, the adventure movie‘s director, explained the financial struggles, saying “we looked for partners on the movie, and everyone passed. Everyone said, ‘I don’t know that this kind of comedy works in this day and age’. They just had a kind of like, ‘Who’s Fletch? I don’t think anyone cares anymore’.”
He then went on to reveal that Hamm, and himself, both sacrificed portions of their salary in order to buy more days of shooting for the film, with Hamm losing up 60% of his agreed wage. He said “So, basically, what we did is Jon gave back 60 percent of his salary to the budget. I gave back some of my salary, not as much as Jon because he’s richer than me and I’ve got three kids. And we bought three more days of shooting.”
Audiences may be surprised to hear that Hamm was willing to forego such a significant chunk of his wage. However, his gamble may have paid off because the movie has garnered a small sample of positive reviews so far, which have praised Hamm specifically for his comedic turn.
If serious crime dramas are more up your street, then check out our guide to the best thriller movies ever made.