Money Talks
Daytime TV Magazine, September 1979
Article Provided By WandaActors who play extras on soap operas don't speak lines, but get paid for keeping silent. They earn at least $80 on a 30-minute show and $95 on a 60-minute show.
Under-fivers (actors who speak five lines or less) earn a minimum of $130 on a 30-minute show and $162 on an hour show.
Principals (actors with five lines or more) must be paid at least $267 on a half-hour show and $367 on an hour show.
These are scale wages set by the performers' union AFTRA but many soap actors who become stars earn from $100,000 to $200,000 a year. A few even earn more than $300,000 a year.