AJ Johnson
Actress AJ Johnson Reveals She Made More Money From ‘House Party’ Themed Burger King Commercial Than She Did For The Entire Film
AJ Johnson is the latest celebrity to speak out about pay in Hollywood.
The actress and fitness guru, 60, opened up about how much she made for her role as Sharane in the 1990 film during a recent interview on Jemele Hill Is Unbothered.
Asked by Jemele Hill if it was “true you only made four grand from House Party?” AJ Johnson quickly confirmed,
“Yeah. For the whole month or two that we filmed.”
She noted that everyone made the same amount, however, when the movie was released it was a huge hit and got the attention of Burger King, who asked her and Play (real name Christopher Martin) to “sign over the rights to one of our scenes for a commercial.”
In the ad, Play’s character is seen outside Sharane’s window telling her that they need to go bail his best friend Kid (real name Christopher Reid) out of jail. After Sharane refused to leave the comfort of her house, Play promised her she’d get Burger King if she came with him. She revealed,
“We made more money on that commercial day than we made during the movie.”
Also during the chat, she shared her thoughts on LeBron James’ House Party remake and said she “wasn’t asked to be part of it.”
“I know some people who were and it was very…let’s just say from what I’ve learned…it was a little bit unorganized in terms of how it went down.”
She said that’s typical in Hollywood, but she thinks “remakes of certain things” are difficult to execute properly.
“I’m anxious to see what they do.”
She went on to share her reasons for not starring in the House Party sequels (House Party 2 was released in 1991 and House Party 3 in 1994), citing that she wasn’t a fan of how the core friend group was evolving in the newer movies. She added that original director Reggie Hudlin also didn’t return for the newer movies, serving as another factor for her decision to opt-out as he helped her embody the role of Sharane. She later signed on to other movies like the original Sister Act instead.
What are your thoughts on the House Party stars getting paid $4,000 for their roles? Comment and let us know.