Melanie Lynskey has denied making about a quarter of a million dollars on “Two and a Half Men.”
The actress opened up about her alleged salary while responding to an Instagram clip of former co-star Holland Taylor claiming the hit sitcom never paid her well.
In the comments, one user said Lynskey — who appeared in 63 episodes as Rose, Charlie’s (Charlie Sheen) neighbor and stalker — “made between $200,000 and $300,000” in total from the series.
“Hey! Sorry, but this crazy number is floating around the internet and I have to tell you how fake it is,” Lynskey, 49, began his lengthy response.
The Emmy nominee insisted she was “making literally a tenth of that reported figure per episode” and noted that amount had decreased by “about 50 percent” due to “cuts and taxes from agents, managers, business owners.”
Lynskey insisted that she “was extremely grateful” for the job which “allowed me to pay my small mortgage and pay my bills and be able to work in independent films and build a career.”
“But there’s this crazy idea that I’ve made millions of dollars and it’s so ridiculous,” Lynskey continued, adding, “If Holland talks about it, I’ll talk about it too.”
In a second comment, Lynskey, who was 25 when she appeared on “Two and a Half Men,” said her salary for the series was “huge for me” at that time.
“I always think about how lucky I am compared to the vast majority of actors because it’s so difficult to make a living,” explained the “Yellow Vests” star. “I had struggled so much at that point that I was very grateful.”
Lynskey said the sitcom “wasn’t my show” and “felt good” about her salary, but admitted she was “annoyed when it was poorly reported”.
“Also, Holland is and was a legend and a queen and deserved many raises,” Lynskey added.
In the clip from the “Alchemy with Anthony Mason” podcast, Taylor, 83, revealed that she let her “Two and a Half Men” contract expire because she never got a raise.
“They usually do it, just as a courtesy,” Taylor said. “I really liked this series, but it wasn’t full of courtesy.”
Taylor, who earned four Emmy nominations for her role as Evelyn Harper, also claimed that her on-screen son Jon Cryer “quadrupled his salary” when his contract ended, but she did not receive the same treatment.
“Two and a Half Men” aired on CBS for 12 seasons from 2003 to 2015.
Sheen, 61, was replaced by Ashton Kutcher before season 9 due to his erratic behavior.
Gn entert
