Actor Andrew Keegan is opening up about the harsh reality of residual payments in Hollywood, revealing that some of the checks he receives for past projects are worth as little as one cent. During an appearance on The McBride Rewind podcast, the 10 Things I Hate About You star spoke candidly about how inconsistent residual income has become for actors, especially in the streaming era.
“I’ll get one-cent checks,” Keegan shared. “It costs, like, 40 cents to send in the mail.”
The actor admitted that the amounts are sometimes so small that he does not even bother checking which project the payment came from.
“I should probably look at which project it was,” he joked. “Because of course, one cent. It’s not worth my time.”
Keegan said the biggest residual payments he still receives come from the 1999 teen rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You, where he played arrogant high school football player Joey Donner alongside Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Allison Janney.
According to Keegan, the payments from older projects can vary anywhere between $10 and $80, depending on how often the content airs or streams.
The actor’s comments come amid growing conversations in Hollywood about how streaming platforms have changed residual payments for performers. Several actors have recently spoken about receiving surprisingly tiny checks despite appearing in hit projects.
Full House actress Jodie Sweetin recently revealed that she also received a one-cent residual check for the beloved sitcom, saying syndication payouts have dramatically changed in the streaming era.
Keegan, who also appeared in shows like 7th Heaven, House, CSI: NY, and films including O and The Broken Hearts Club, said residuals today are far from a reliable source of income for many actors.
The discussion around residuals became one of the biggest issues during recent Hollywood labor strikes, with actors and writers demanding fairer compensation from streaming services as traditional television reruns continue to decline.