Episode Overview

Theme:
The October 21, 2025 episode of Holmberg's Morning Sickness focuses on actors who scored massive paychecks for minimal screentime in popular films. The crew—John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, and Dick Toledo—breaks down the surprising salaries, riffs on which movies did or didn't merit their stars, and pokes fun at superhero flicks and cosplay trends. The banter is light, sarcastic, and sharply critical of Hollywood's excess.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Actors Paid a Fortune for Minimal Movie Work

[04:01]

• Ving Rhames:
  • Paid $7.7 million for what amounted to a 39-second cameo in “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.”
    Brady: "Ving Rhames made 7.7 million for Pulp Fiction. For what amounted to be a 39 second cameo and mission...possible Ghost Protocol."
    John: “Was he only in that for a little while?”
    Brady: "Yeah. 39 seconds."
    John: “I never saw it.”
• Samuel L. Jackson:
  • Paid $2-3 million for Marvel movies, sometimes for only a single post-credits scene.
    Brady: "Even when he was just in a single end credit... just turned his head and had that patch on."
• Michael Keaton:
  • Received $2 million for a cameo in the “Batgirl” movie that was never released.
    • The crew debates which Batgirl movie it was, and why it was canceled. John: “Really? Was that the Alicia Silverstone one? Did Batgirl not get released? ... I wouldn’t have gone to see it.” [04:44]
• Benicio del Toro:
  • Pay-to-play deal netted him $5 million for “American Gangster” even though the movie replaced him before filming. Brady: "He wasn’t even in it... The movie got delayed. He was replaced. But he had a pay to play deal." John: "Off you go."
• Sean Connery:
  • Earned $250,000 for one day on “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” after negotiating down from a million. Brady: "He originally requested 1 million." John: “Give me a million. No. Give me half of that. All right. Perfect. Negotiations a plus.”
• Jared Leto:
  • Made $7 million for his role as Joker in "Suicide Squad"—about $1 million for every minute of screen time.
    John: "So awful as the Joker... Suicide Squad. So bad." [06:06]
• Robert Downey Jr.:
  • Paid $10 million for just 8 minutes in "Spider-Man: Homecoming."
• Vin Diesel:
  • Collected between $10 and $25 million for voicing Groot in the Marvel films. Brady: "...all he had to do was just 'I am Groot.'" John: "'We are Groot' is the most remarkable and nuanced performance of his career."

2. Batgirl, Shelved Films, and Superhero Critique

[05:31], [07:29], [08:15]

• The crew is amused and baffled by the trend of big-budget movies being scrapped after massive expenses, particularly “Batgirl.” They discuss how studios used to put the brakes on bad projects but now seem to release them regardless of quality.
  • John: "I don't remember the Batgirl movie didn't come out. The new Batgirl was supposed to come out every couple years after Michael Keaton appeared in The Flash. I don't know what that is. I'm just saying I didn't know any of that."
  • Brady: "Because I remember seeing Batgirl, Alicia Silverstone in one of those Batmans."
  • John: "How bad did [Batgirl] have to be that they released Daredevil and shot this one down? Half the movies they've put out are horrible. The DC world was bad."
• They lament big actors cashing in on bad movies and criticize the state of superhero films in general.

3. Cosplay Tangents & Harley Quinn

[08:46]

• The group riffs about the effect of “Suicide Squad” and Harley Quinn’s popularity at Halloween—particularly disliking non-traditional body types in Harley Quinn costumes.
  • John: "The worst part is is what it spawned was a bunch of 45 year old women wearing Harley Quinn costumes for Halloween. And the fact that they had anything bigger than a size XS... Terrible."
  • Brady: "Should never have happened."

4. Notable Side Story: The Slipknot.com Lawsuit

[06:48]

• The band Slipknot is suing a cybersquatter who's owned Slipknot.com since 2001 and profited from the domain, forcing the band to use Slipknot1.com.
  • Brady: "An anonymous cyber squatter has owned Slipknot.com since 2001..."
  • John: "Good one, Vin. That’s a take. All right, that’s enough."

Best Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We are Groot is the most remarkable and nuanced performance of [Vin Diesel’s] career.” — John Holmberg, [06:30]
• “Give me a million. No. Give me half of that. All right. Perfect. Negotiations a plus.” — John Holmberg, [05:44]
• “How bad did it have to be that they released Daredevil and shot this one down? Half the movies they've put out are horrible.” — John Holmberg, [08:23]
• “The worst part is is what it spawned was a bunch of 45 year old women wearing Harley Quinn costumes for Halloween. And the fact that they had anything bigger than a size XS... Terrible.” — John Holmberg, [08:48]
• “Jared Leto got $7 million for Suicide Squad, which many are a million bucks for every minute of screen time.” — Brady Bogen, [05:53]

Major Timestamps for Segments

• [04:01] Introduction of the main topic: movie stars paid millions for cameo appearances or minor roles.
• [04:16] – [06:15] Breakdown of individual actors/cases: Ving Rhames, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, Benicio del Toro, Sean Connery, Jared Leto, Robert Downey Jr., Vin Diesel.
• [06:48] – [07:16] Side story: Slipknot.com cybersquatting lawsuit.
• [08:15] – [09:44] Rant on Batgirl movie cancellation, superhero movie fatigue, and Harley Quinn cosplay.

Tone and Flow

• Language: Irreverent, sarcastic, and conversational; the hosts weave pop culture references with personal anecdotes and gentle mockery.
• Style: The tone is playful yet critical—especially about Hollywood’s financial waste and superhero film oversaturation.

Utility for Non-listeners

This episode offers a humorous but pointed critique of how Hollywood rewards stars for minimal effort, with snappy banter and pop culture sidebars. The hosts highlight the absurdity of major payouts for quick cameos, vent frustration at superhero movie trends, and poke fun at cosplay fads—making for an entertaining and insightful episode even for those just reading the summary.