The Timecop actor lost out on his biggest payday yet, in a bid to ‘play the system’

Jean-Claude Van Damme was one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood when the action genre was at its peak in the 1980s and the 1990s. However, the actor might have not been aware of his star power, an error that cost him as much as $36 million.

Jean-Claude Van Damme
The actor was a star in the action scene but seems to have oversold himself. He turned down a deal that could have made him a lot of money, simply because he assumed that he, as a film star, was worth more, comparing his work to then megastar, Jim Carrey.

Jean-Claude Van Damme lost out on a 3 film deal.

Jean-Claude Van Damme
Damme was called The 8 Million Dollar Man because that is the amount he received for the critically panned Street Fighter film that had been recently released. This would be the last time the actor was paid such a high amount for a single role. In an episode of Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors, the actor revealed how the conversation went. He said:

“I received a huge offer for a three-picture deal, and it was $12 million per picture. I said ‘I want $20 million like Jim Carrey’ and they hung up on me.”
The actor believed that he was as strong as a star as Jim Carrey, who was being paid $20 million a film,  The entire ordeal took place in 1995, a time when Carrey was one of the biggest stars in the industry.

Jean-Claude Van Damme wanted to be worth his $100 million collection

Jean-Claude Van Damme in Timecop
However, it must be known that the Streat Fighter star’s thirst for a higher payday was not unfounded whatsoever. The actor had delivered his first 100 million dollar film, Timecop, which had made waves at the box office. The film compelled the actor to negotiate and play with the system. The actor said:
“I was making movie after movie, and in between movies I was doing promotion. I was tired. Everything I was touching was making money. Jim Carrey was being paid a fortune, and I wanted to play with the system… It was not about the money.”
However, as the star pushed to make more money, it cost him a bigger opportunity than what he had gotten at the time. Studios are always on the lookout for keen talent and may project how much an actor will be able to make them based on estimates and data, but they also realise how much is an actor worth with how aware they are of their stardom, something that Damme failed to do properly with his $20 million demand again the $12 million a film payday.