You would think a hit show like Gilligan's Island would rake in the dough. Across three seasons, they received a ton of prestige and audiences still love it. The show currently resides at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, impressive for a show that's over 60 years old. However, according to Tina Louise, the legacy of the show doesn't exactly reflect the kind of pay they were getting at the time.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Recently, she spoke with Forbes to go over her illustrious career, particularly her time on Gilligan's Island. There, Tina says that across all 98 episodes, she didn't bring in much money, "like $1,500 an episode," as she puts it. Moreover, the streaming availability and cable reruns doesn't do Louise any favors either. You would think residuals would hold her over once she settled down from an acting career. Instead, it's quite the opposite. ""Nothing! Not a cent," she exclaims.
Tina Louise Says She Doesn't Receive Any Residuals From Gilligan's Island
Ultimately, though, Tina was never into acting for the money. It was definitely her means of survival but that's not why she took the jobs she did in her career. Rather, she looks at it as something she wants to do. Louise explains that she has to be willing to do a job everyday if she's going to take a gig. "Don't be worried about getting money from that," she says. "You'll have to have another job of some kind, but I would say to be seen, whether you made money or not, do a play. Just do something you have to do every single night. I think you bloom better, starting on the stage. That's what I did."
It explains why Louise almost quit Gilligan's Island in the first place. The creative differences sways her from wanting to come on set everyday. The way she sees it, she can't be miserable on a job everyday or she'll grow to resent it. "I explained to him that I didn't want to play it and I didn't think the show would be successful, changing the original idea of the character," Tina recalls. "You just can't go into people's homes and dress somebody up like a doll and then have her to be not nice."
