First introduced to many moviegoers when he portrayed Pretty in Pink’s "Duckie", in that movie Jon Cryer played a character that viewers pitied since he was perpetually in the friend zone. However, if the sad-sack roles Cryer perfected playing ever made you feel like the actor was worthy of pity in real-life, then you’d better think again since he has led an amazing life.
Never given his just due in a lot of ways, it could be argued that Jon Cryer has always been the bridesmaid, and never the bride. In reality though, if you look at Cryer’s career through a more optimistic lens, he has been a comedy film and television mainstay for decades. Assuming that the man enjoys making audiences laugh, which he must since he’s dabbled in standup comedy, his life has been a dream come true.
On top of the satisfaction that Jon Cryer must get from making viewers laugh, there is absolutely no doubt that he has been paid a fortune for his work. After all, he worked consistently in Hollywood and although he never got huge paydays during that time, he still would have made a pretty penny. On top of that, he starred in one of the most successful shows for many years, Two and a Half Men, which allowed him to negotiate mindblowing contracts for his work. Of course, in order to make that money, Cryer had to deal with some wild behind-the-scenes of Two and a Half Men moments.
Finding His Role
When most people dream of making it in Hollywood, they imagine what it would feel like to headline movies and garner all of the awards and attention. However, in reality, if an actor wants to have a longterm career, embracing supporting roles actually makes more sense in a lot of ways. After all, when you headline movies, your whole career can fall apart if you appear in a few that underperform. However, supporting actors may not get all of the credit, but they certainly don’t take on all of the blame either.
For proof of that idea, look no further than what happened to Jon Cryer’s career in 1987. Seen in 4 movies that year, all of which wildly underperformed at the box office, he continued to get work in the years afterward. In fact, Cryer’s career even survived playing Lenny Luthor in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, an abysmal movie that severely hindered the career of its star, Christopher Reeve.
On top of the joys of being consistently employed throughout most of his career, either in movies or television guest and recurring roles, Jon Cryer has contributed to a lot of beloved films and shows. For example, his role in Pretty in Pink will go down in history, he was hilarious in Hot Shots!, and he got hired to guest star in shows like Family Guy, The Outer Limits, and Dharma & Greg.
Taking The Lead
When Jon Cryer was hired to star in Two and a Half Men, it was a big moment for his career. After all, he’d played the lead a few times over the years, but in the past, none of those projects seemed to do well for whatever reason. On the other hand, there is no doubt that the show was a huge success, even though Two and a Half Men did feature some interesting mistakes.
As fans of Two and a Half Men know, when the show began there was no doubt that Charlie Sheen’s character was the series lead. Then when Charlie got fired from the show and Jon Cryer no longer had to deal with Sheen behind-the-scenes, it could be argued that Ashton Kutcher’s character became the show’s main focus. Still, given the fact that Jon Cryer’s Alan Harper was the most important character that remained a part of the series from beginning to end, he arguably is the show’s main character overall.
For further proof of the fact that his character grew to be much more important over the years, consider the Emmys Jon Cryer won for his work on Two and a Half Men. Nominated for an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy in 2006, 207, 2008, 2010, and 2011, he won that award in 2009. Then, after Charlie Sheen left Two and a Half Men, in 2012 Cryer won another Emmy for his work on the show but this time, it was for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
Fortune Amassed
As this article makes abundantly clear, Jon Cryer has enjoyed a long career that has been quite financially rewarding over the years. Of course, there is no doubt that the most financially rewarding period of his career was the time he spent starring in Two and a Half Men. Starting out with a solid but not mindblowing pay package, in the end, Jon Cryer made $620,000 for each episode of Two and a Half Men he starred in. On top of his per episode salary, Cryer made millions of dollars when Two and a Half Men went into syndication.
Of course, just because an actor makes a certain amount of money per episode doesn’t mean he gets to keep it all. After all, Cryer had to pay his taxes, managers, and lawyers. Fortunately, Jon Cryer still has a net worth of $70 million according to celebritynetworth.com.
