Actor who voiced Simba in The Lion King risked it all by turning down $2 million pay day for his role
Published on Oct 09, 2023 at 2:04 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Oct 10, 2023 at 2:06 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
You may have never heard of Jason Weaver but you’ve almost certainly heard his voice.
The 44-year-old actor starred in one of Disney’s most successful movies and he made a fortune.
He took a huge risk to get there too.
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Jason Weaver was young Simba’s singing voice in 1994 movie The Lion King, so even though you (probably) haven’t seen his face, you’ve heard him singing.
Speaking to Vlad Lyubovny of the Vlad TV YouTube channel, Weaver said he turned down a massive seven-figure salary, opting to receive royalties instead.
“I remember [the offer I got] was like $2 million,” he told Vlad.
“You have to remember, they’re coming off of Beauty and the Beast [and] Aladdin, so Disney had [money to burn].”
Even though $2 million was a huge amount of cash 19 years ago, and still is today, Weaver wasn’t blinded by the figure.
The fact that Disney was ready to fork out $2 million made Weaver realize the studio was fairly certain of the movie’s future box office success.
Right then and there, Weaver decided to ask for a much lower salary upfront, ‘just’ $100,000, and negotiate royalties instead.
The gamble paid off big time.
The Lion King grossed $968 million against a budget of $45 million.
Not only that, the soundtrack won an Oscar and sold 18 million copies.
“Disney had a reputation for re-releasing stuff. I think at that time they had put out Sleeping Beauty and some of their old catalogue from when Walt Disney was alive,” Weaver said.
The actor said his mother helped him make the risky decision too.
“My mum was able to see the playing field and go, ‘Wait a minute, this is going to make a lot of money over time, so are you going to be able to get a cheque when they eventually re-release this?'” he said.
Weaver didn’t reveal how much he had made from the movie so far, but we’re going to go ahead and assume it was a lot more than $2 million.
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
