Quvenzhané Wallis’ Contract Allows Her to Choose Her Outfits
Child actors usually don’t have much autonomy regarding their careers, but a select few earn the space to be just as demanding as any adult star with box-office success on their resume. Quvenzhané Wallis has substantial roles in indie breakouts and mainstream hits for the whole family. Now that she has a brand to uphold, Wallis makes moves to retain control of her image and how the public is allowed to see her. From her fashion choices to her mistakes on set, Wallis doesn’t allow anyone to see her in a way she disapproves of.
Quvenzhané Wallis drew acclaim from her first-ever role
Quvenzhané Wallis emerged from the ether with the same preternatural charisma that all-star performers have. She was only six when she played Hushpuppy, the main character in the fantastical drama Beasts of the Southern Wild, and she had never acted before. None of that inexperience showed in her incredible performance in the movie. Wallis was unanimously praised for her work, earning plaudits from the most esteemed organizations in the industry. In 2013, Wallis, then a nine-year-old, was nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards, making her the youngest nominee for the category and the third-youngest one overall. She was also the first African-American child actor and the first person born in the 21st Century to be recognized by the Oscars.
Wallis followed that up with appearances in 12 Years a Slave and another starring vehicle in the 2014 reboot of Annie, becoming the first black girl to play the part. Since then, Wallis has continued to act in projects like Black-ish, American Horror Stories, and Apple TV+’s Swagger.
She has also written four books in the Shai and Emmie series, which lightheartedly follows the titular third-graders as they have fun and go through challenges at their elementary school for the performing arts, as featured on Smith and Schuster.
Her net worth is a byproduct of her talent and business acumen
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Quvenzhané Wallis is currently worth $500,000. One of her most significant paydays so far is from Annie, for which she potentially earned up to $1.5 million per a report in New York Amsterdam News.
Wallis was paid $750,000 as her base salary for being in the movie, and she was legally promised another payment of that same amount if the box office returns were high enough. Box Office Mojo has Annie making $136.8 million on a $65 million budget, so there’s every chance Wallis got the maximum amount of money she could get off the film. Her contract also gave her 5% of profits, 5% of merchandising, and 10% of all soundtrack/album royalties.
Quvenzhané Wallis’ contract includes rules about how she is portrayed
Quvenzhané Wallis’ Annie deal also had several provisions to ensure that her name and likeness would only be used in ways she decided were befitting of her brand. In addition to the money, her contract stated that:
- Her name couldn’t be lower than second billing on the poster
- Her image couldn’t be used in ads promoting the sale of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, feminine hygiene products, or pharmaceuticals
- Unlimited Wi-Fi in her trailer
- Wallis held the right to choose which of her takes could be used in blooper reels
- She got to choose her outfits for the movie, provided she didn’t let anyone borrow her clothes
It’s easy to make jokes about Wallis being so protective of her image, but her contract shows that she and her agents understand her value as a commodity. Actors of all ages get exploited, but it’s easier to do with child actors since they don’t have as much cache to make demands. At that moment, Wallis had the power to define her celebrity in a way that most actors would relish.
Not every project she’s been a part of has been so good to her bank account. A TMZ report states that Wallis was “only” paid a base salary of $40,000 for her next movie, Fathers and Daughters, starring Aaron Paul and Russell Crowe, with bonuses maxed out at $200,000.
