• Tim Miller was paid $225,000 for directing the first "Deadpool" movie in 2016.
• The superhero movie raked in $782 million at the box office.
• It launched a huge franchise, which is worth $2.9 billion after 2024's "Deadpool & Wolverine."

Back in 2016 Tim Miller directed "Deadpool", launching a lucrative global superhero franchise — work he said earned him a relatively small $225,000.

The violent, R-rated movies star Ryan Reynolds as the titular foul-mouthed superhero. According to TheNumbers.com, the franchise is now worth over $2.9 billion after the riotous success of the third film, "Deadpool & Wolverine."

Collider reported that Miller discussed his salary during a recent panel at the CCXP convention in Brazil, which took place from December 5-8.

He said: "You guys might not know, but it's not really a profitable thing to be a first-time director in Hollywood, and I'll tell you exactly. I got $225,000 to direct 'Deadpool.' I know it sounds like a lot of money, but for two years of work, that's not a ton of money."

Miller said he was grateful for the opportunity, but joked that at the time, his agent told him: "'Dude, you make more on an episode of 'The Walking Dead!'"

The director went on to say that there's a misconception about typical salaries in Hollywood. "I think a lot of people think that everyone's getting paid millions and millions in Hollywood. It's just not the case, not always," he said.

The minimum salary for members of the Director's Guild of America in 2024 is $237,670 for a guaranteed shoot of 10 weeks.

In July 2024, Reynolds said he "let go of getting paid" for "Deadpool" because it was a passion project for him and he wanted to see it on the big screen. The film was a risk because of its violence and profanity, which meant that younger fans and families couldn't go see it.

Regardless, it still made $782 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. For Miller, that success overrides the small salary.

He said: "You know what I feel? Nothing but pride. I mean, I feel like every time I walk down the aisles out there on the floor of CCXP and I see all these Deadpool figurines, I think they wouldn't be here if we hadn't made that film. And I feel uniquely fortunate that I could be part of it."

Miller's work on "Deadpool" propelled his career forward. He directed 2019's "Terminator: Dark Fate" as well as episodes of Netflix's "Love, Death, and Robots." He also created the animated anthology video game series, "Secret Level," for Amazon Prime Video.

He also joked that he should've negotiated a merchandise deal into his contract.

"Then my second thought is, I wish my director deals had a piece of the merchandising so that I could get some money from all of that."

Rob Mitchell, the director of theatrical insights at Gower Street Analytics, told Business Insider that backend and merchandise deals allow actors and directors to take on "riskier" projects that earn more if the project is successful.

He said: "The most famous one is Jack Nicholson's deal on the original 'Batman' film that he got a huge payday out of. He took a salary cut, but took a backend and made an absolute fortune of it. That isn't uncommon, that would happen with big stars in riskier projects."

• Ryan Reynolds is facing backlash for saying that Blake Lively had a working-class background.
• Lively's parents worked in the entertainment industry, and her four siblings are actors, too.
• Being relatable can help a celebrity's appeal, but an inauthentic approach can quickly backfire, a PR expert said.

Ryan Reynolds has come under fire for saying that he and his wife, Blake Lively, grew up with working-class backgrounds.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published last week, the "Deadpool" star spoke about his and Lively's decision to keep their four kids out of the spotlight "to give them as normal a life as possible."

"I try not to impose upon them the difference in their childhood to my childhood or my wife's childhood," Reynolds told The Hollywood Reporter.

"We both grew up very working class, and I remember when they were very young, I used to say or think, like, 'Oh God, I would never have had a gift like this when I was a kid,' or, 'I never would've had this luxury of getting takeout,' or whatever. Then I realized that that's not really their bag of rocks to carry," Reynolds continued.

His comment about Lively's upbringing has drawn the ire of some fans because her parents had entertainment careers.

Her father, Ernie Lively, was an actor and producer with a Hollywood career spanning almost five decades, per his IMDB page. His acting credits include the 1989 comedy film "Turner & Hooch" and the 1992 action thriller "Passenger 57."

He also played Lively's onscreen father in the 2005 film "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and its 2008 sequel.

Her mother, Elaine Lively, was a talent manager who also appeared in the 1993 video game "Return to Zork," per her IMDB page.

All four of Lively's siblings are actors, per People.

In a 2006 interview with Radio Free, Lively said that she had "grown up on sets." Moreover, her brother, Eric got her into showbiz when she was a teenager, she added.

"He [told] his agents, 'You have to start sending Blake out on auditions.' And I didn't want to make him mad because he's such a good brother, so I just went on auditions to appease him. And then after a few months of auditioning, I got 'Sisterhood,'" Lively said.

Some internet users posted their displeasure with Reynolds' remarks in the comments section of an Instagram post by New York Magazine's The Cut.

"More and more I'm learning that rich people say 'working class' when they mean 'had a salary,'" one commenter wrote.

"You keep using that word, 'working class.' I do not think it means what you think it means," another wrote.

Reynolds' upbringing in Vancouver was seemingly more modest than that of his wife.

His father, James Reynolds, worked as a police officer and then as a food broker, per People. His mother, Tammy Reynolds, was a retail store saleswoman, per Reynolds' IMDB page.

Why do celebrities try to claim working-class affiliations?

Reynolds and Lively are still dealing with backlash from "It Ends with Us," which could explain why they're trying to lean into relatability as a strategy, Megan Balyk, a vice president at public relations firm Jive PR + Digital, told Business Insider.

"In today's world where authenticity is key, a working-class background can make a celebrity seem more genuine. Plus, it can help deflect criticism about privilege or nepotism," Balyk said.

But an inauthentic approach can backfire.

Social media has made it easy for fans to fact-check claims, and they're quick to call out any inconsistencies, she said.

"If a celebrity's claims seem false or exaggerated, it can lead to backlash, as we saw not too long ago with Victoria Beckham when she said she grew up 'working class' in the Beckham documentary, despite her father owning a Rolls-Royce," Balyk said.

There's also a risk of trivializing the struggles of people from disadvantaged backgrounds, she said.

Balyk said the backlash in Reynolds' case could be because people are becoming more aware of nepotism in Hollywood.

"There's a growing fatigue with celebrities who seem to downplay their privileges," she said.

"A better strategy would be to openly acknowledge their current position while showing genuine appreciation for any advantages they've had. It's better to be honest about your background than to overstate past hardships," she added.

A representative for Reynolds did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by BI outside regular hours.

Firearms expert Patrick McNamara rates gun technique in movies.

McNamara talks about recovering ammo on the battlefield in "John Wick: Chapter 2," starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, and Common. He explains how to handle different types of machine guns in "Rambo: First Blood Part II," starring Sylvester Stallone; and "Pulp Fiction," starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, and Bruce Willis. He critiques James Bond's shooting form in "Die Another Day," starring Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry and Judi Dench; and "No Time to Die," starring Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, and Ana de Armas. He breaks down how to fire at a moving target in "Deadpool," starring Ryan Reynolds. He discusses firing two guns at once in "The Bourne Identity," starring Matt Damon and Clive Owen. He describes shooting range exercises in "S.W.A.T.," starring Colin Farrell, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jeremy Renner; and "Lethal Weapon," starring Danny Glover and Mel Gibson. He looks at shooting in dark environments in "Sicario," starring Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benicio del Toro. He analyzes the reload techniques displayed in "Scarface," starring Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer. He walks us through different sniper positions in "Mad Max: Fury Road," starring Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, and Nicholas Hoult. Finally, he deconstructs Tom Cruise's shooting stance in "Collateral," also starring Jamie Foxx and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Patrick McNamara served for 22 years in Army special operations forces. He is president of TMACS, where he trains people in tactical marksmanship.

You can learn more about safe gun-handling techniques from Patrick here:

https://www.youtube.com/@patmcnamara

https://www.tmacsinc.com/

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