After 26 Years, the Criminally Underpaid ‘Blair Witch’ Actors May Have Finally Struck a Fair Agreement With Lionsgate
“You’re in the most successful independent movie of all time, and you can’t take care of your loved ones.”
The Blair Witch Project is an iconic 1999 horror movie that inspired a new wave of independent filmmakers and basically created the found footage subgenre. Unfortunately, like so many business ventures the workers who were integral to the project’s success did not share in its financial windfall. While the actors were paid just $500/week for the 8-day shoot, the film went on to earn $248.6 million at the box office. Twenty-six years later, it is still the 11th most profitable independent movie of all time.
Last summer the film’s three lead actors, Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams and Joshua Leonard, sent an open letter to Lionsgate asking for “meaningful consultation” on future projects as well as residual payments “equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.” Williams, who is now a high school guidance counselor, cried during a call discussing the actors’ requests with Variety, expressing embarrassment that he and his wife struggle to buy groceries, “You’re in the most successful independent movie of all time, and you can’t take care of your loved ones.”
Giant corporations don’t care that this happens to young artists. It’s bullshit. And that’s got to change somehow.
Michael C. Williams, ‘The Blair Witch Project’ Actors Call Out ‘Reprehensible Behavior’ After Missing Out on Profits for Decades
What’s even worse is that in this particular situation, the cast of The Blair Witch Project were also psychologically terrorized during the making of the movie. To elicit strong reactions, directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez manipulated the actors by underfeeding them, giving them conflicting directions and playing recordings of eerie noises outside their tents at night. Afterwards they also had to deal with the film’s viral marketing campaign which used their real names and asserted the actors were dead.
We did keep them isolated, we harassed them at night, we deprived them of sleep, we made them move a lot during the day. Then at the end, we slowly fed them less and less, and they never knew what was happening. They were always off-balance.
Director Daniel Myrick, The Making of ‘The Blair Witch Project’ Was More Brutal Than Its Finale
The actors went along with all of this because they were invested in making the best movie possible. But when Blair Witch broke $100 million at the box office, each actor received only a fruit basket. During this time, Williams was moving furniture for a living, Leonard was a cater waiter and Donahue recalled going to her temp job and her car breaking down beneath a billboard with her name on it.
Now, it seems the studio has finally done right by the Blair Witch actors. Michael C. Williams posted on his Instagram last week that he is now happy with the arrangement with Lionsgate and Blumhouse. He didn’t specify any details, like whether the actors have received additional financial compensation or whether they will be involved in future sequels, but simply said that the studios listened to the actors. Whatever the outcome was, Williams said it made him feel like he was finally valued.
Lionsgate and Blumhouse are currently in development on a new Blair Witch sequel.
Further reading:
- Heather Donahue Really Thought She Might Be Murdered While Making ‘The Blair Witch Project’
- 50+ Found Footage Horror Movies: The Definitive List
- 41 Fascinating Facts About ‘The Blair Witch Project’
