An actor has revealed that they made a fortune after agreeing to be paid $1,000 every time they were stung by a bee in a movie.
How much would you want to get paid every time you got stung by a bee on a movie set where you were likely to get stung by the buzzy insects a lot?
For Hollywood star Tony Todd, the answer is $1,000.
Tony Todd starred in the Candyman franchise. Credit: Albert L. Ortega / Getty
The 69-year-old actor is best known for portraying Candyman in the 1992 horror franchise.
The movie is set in the Chicago district of Cabrini-Green and centers around the terrifying urban legend of the Candyman (played by Todd) who appears if you say his name five times in the mirror.
The synopsis for Candyman reads: “Intrigued by local legends, Helen investigates the myths and superstitions surrounding the one-armed Candyman. However, she confronts her worst nightmare when a series of murders start taking place.”
One of the spine-chilling scenes in the movie is when the Candyman is seen kissing Helen Lyle (played by Virginia Madsen) with a mouth full of insects.
Watch the iconic scene below:
According to Collider, Todd’s attorney negotiated that his client would be awarded $1,000 per bee sting.
Todd described the insects as “the worst nemesis,” but added that he “didn’t mind” the stings because of the clause in his contract. “I’m going like, ‘Bring it on!'” he remarked, as cited by PEOPLE.
“I had a great lawyer at the time and we got paid,” he quipped. In the end, it was revealed that the actor was stung 27 times which means he took home a staggering $27,000 for his troubles.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy for Todd’s co-star Madsen – who stars as grad student Helen – as she was extremely allergic to bees and had to film scenes with “paramedics on the set,” per the outlet. This “didn’t make [her] feel very confident,” she added.
“But the bees that were on me were baby bees so they can sting but they said they are less likely to,” the actress said. “Then you had to sit for a good 20-25 minutes while [the bee wrangler] vacuums them off you.”
Todd and Madsen appeared in Candyman (1992). Credit: Archive Photos / Getty
IMDB reported that the horror classic had a budget of $6 million but became a box office smash hit and made over $25 million in the US.
Todd reprised his role in the sequel, 1995’s Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh and 1999’s direct-to-video Candyman 3: Day of the Dead.
While Madsen did not appear alongside Todd in the two follow-up movies, she did play Helen via a voice and archive-image cameo in 2021’s Candyman, which was directed by Nia DaCosta and written by DaCosta, Win Rosenfeld and Jordan Peele.
